That Butler, Finding Holmes
by Amaymon
Summary: Holmes goes missing. His daughter, Elena, has no choice but to ask the help of her second cousin, Ciel Phantomhive, and his butler, Sebastian Michaelis. The closer they get to solving the case, the further away logic and sense seem to appear. No pairings!
1. Chapter 1

_August 5th 1891, England._

The moon hung loosely in the dark, inky sky and although the moon was enormous tonight and surrounded by stars, they shone a very dull and lifeless light. At the Holmes' residence, Sherlock and his daughter lay sleeping in each of their rooms, warm and tucked in tightly. Sherlock Holmes was known for his exquisite crime-solving skills and his daughter, Elena, age seventeen, wasn't far behind following in his footsteps. Like her father, she never missed a beat, a single detail or even a hint of something awry. In a few years she'd be old enough to start going on actual investigations with Sherlock and make a name for herself.

Elena Holmes had always been a bright and happy child, she aspired to be the best detective in the world and to marry one day and live happily. But all that changed on September 14th 1882, during that week, her life was thrown into disarray. At the age of eight, she felt her life could no longer return to the way it was. The sun would never be as bright, music would never again stimulate her emotions, and the world itself would never seem as beautiful as it once did. She felt she could no longer connect with it or with anyone in it. If it wasn't for her father being Sherlock Holmes, she would never have been brought back to the world above that was just as dirty and sick as the one below–only concealed better.

Even though she felt distant from everyone nowadays–even after nine years–she still loved her father. Though true emotions, especially love, were just too hard to show now. As that seemingly gentle and blissful night turned to shock and horror by the time she had awoken, she had regret trying harder to show her father a glimpse of the love she still kept for him. For when she had awoken, her father was no where to be found. She had called the police and investigated the crime scene–her very own house–before the police had arrived, but even her, the Sherlock Holmes' prodigy daughter, came up empty-handed. The police, in turn, investigated the home–not surprising Elena at all when they came up with even less than nothing.

When her father's old friend, Dr. John Watson, had arrived at the scene, he was surprised to see Elena had already packed her bags and was awaiting a carriage. When he confronted her of where she was going at such a late hour–it being 11PM–she replied simply by saying: "To see my cousin, Ciel Phantomhive."

For Elena, the trip to her cousin's home was not a short ride. It was about a three hour trip in a horse-drawn carriage–one moving at an incredible speed, at that! Elena hadn't seen Ciel for almost nine years now. She was a little nervous meeting him again. He was always such a happy and cheerful kid and she never minded that, until what happened on September 14th. Elena then turned away from anything that was remotely happy or bright, closing herself off from the world–more so than her dad did when he was stuck solving a riddle or clue. She focused only on becoming a genius detective like her father, and now that he was also taken away from her, she wasn't going to let this go so easily. She had promised herself that she would be the one to bring him back.

Elena turned to look out the window, remembering what she had said to her father's friend.

_"Watson, I swear I'll bring him back. I won't let him be taken away from me, not him. That's a promise!"_

_"Elena…"_

She was glad she stopped John from saying anymore at that moment. If he'd said anymore, she would have perhaps started to doubt herself. That was another thing she'd been manipulated to believe during that dark period of time. That help doesn't always come, people are unreliable and selfish, thinking only for themselves and their own well-being. Although that didn't turn out to be the case, at such a young age, she was willing to believe anything if it had an iota of truth to it. She was told this on September 14th and, before her father rescued her on September 21st, she had completely succumbed to the emptiness her kidnappers wanted her to. She felt nothing, as if she was an empty shell, a human no longer affixed to their soul.

_"I'm going now, Watson, please take care and if you find anything, and I mean anything, please let me know as soon as possible, okay?"_

John Watson nodded, complying with his best friend's daughter's wishes–he always liked it when Elena called him by his last name like Sherlock did, he thought it somewhat cute when she did it. Elena smiled; it wasn't out of joy or the feeling of having another being, one she could trust with her life, obeying her. No, it was just a signal that she understood and that she knew he was telling the truth.

A sudden jerk and cease of motion woke Elena from her light slumber. She hadn't even realised she'd fallen asleep and thought that, for a three hour trip, it had gone ridiculously fast. Peering out the slightly frosted window, she could see that everything was pitch black, except the few little twinkling lights of a candelabra dancing around past a window on one of the higher up floors of the Phantomhive mansion.

"Milady, we've arrived at the Phantomhive Manor," Elena turned to be met with her coachman, Jasper Heraldry. She looked back at the mansion one last time before hopping out.

"Thank you, Jasper, you've been a great help." She was sincere, but it came across as monotonous boredom. "What is the time?"

"Nine minutes past two, in the morning, Milady."

"Hm, let's hope someone is still awake," Elena went to grab her bags, but Jasper stopped her, only slightly holding her arm back in response. Although, Elena yanked her arm back forcefully and looked at Jasper. To him, she would have looked merely surprised, but in reality, she was staring at him in utter disgust. Being touched without permission wasn't something she liked.

"Milady, if I allow you to carry your bags, what kind of coachman would I be?" Jasper's smile returned as he lifted each of the young female's bags from the carriage.

Elena's face softened, she had once again overreacted to the slightest of simple actions. Once all of her bags were at the steps, she walked to the front door. Elena knew it was late and that Ciel was most likely asleep, so she hoped that Tanaka would be awake to confirm her identity, so that she wouldn't have to bother Ciel himself–not until morning, anyway.

Jasper knocked before Elena had even noticed he'd rested her bags on the floor. It hadn't even been a second from the time Jasper's hand left the door to the time the door had been opened. Before Elena and Jasper was not Tanaka, but a tall, handsome man. Elena was lost for a moment, but shook herself from her daze and began to speak.

"Good morning, I am Lady Elena Holmes," Elena spoke in her proper voice, she disliked using it, but her mother always insisted on her speaking like a lady when in the company of others. "I called earlier-"

"Ah, yes. Please, do come in," the tall, raven-haired man, dressed as a butler, stepped back, opening the door wider.

As Jasper picked up Elena's bags and placed them in the foyer, Elena continued hesitantly, taking note of as many things as possible. She glanced around the open room and then at the butler out of the corner of her eye. She noticed him smiling slightly, as he stood, bowing, his face concealed by his fringe. The first thing she noticed when she looked at him was his hair; it was so oddly styled for this time era. He then opened his eyes slightly, catching Elena looking back at him. Her eyes were a cool, bluish grey in comparison to his warm red eyes. Both hues at opposite ends of the spectrum, yet deep down, their eyes held some sort of similarity that neither could put their finger on–and ironically, they similarly felt the same annoyance because of that.

"Sorry to have arrived later than planned, I hoped if I had gone fast enough we could have arrived ahead of schedule. I hope it wasn't too much of an inconvenience on your part," Jasper broke the awkward stare-down Elena and the butler were having, forcing the two of them to face Jasper. Elena looked back over at the butler; he too glanced back but quickly brought his attention to the coachman, again, and smiled.

"Not at all, I was ordered to await your arrival, no matter what time that may be. I was only obeying the young Master's wishes."

_"The butler seems very cool, very collected. It's almost inhuman," _Elena thought whilst staring at him again. _"I wonder how he does it…"_

"Well, still, I am sorry to have kept you up," Jasper smiled, and stuck his hand out to shake. "I'm Jasper, by the way, and you are?"

"Sebastian," the butler returned the hand-shake, grinning. He then proceeded to show Elena and Jasper their rooms. Jasper would only be staying the night to rest up before heading back towards his home later in the morning. Although the mansion had brought back so many overwhelming memories from Elena's childhood, she couldn't help but keep a close eye on the butler, Sebastian. Something was off about him, he wasn't like anyone else.

"Your room is here, my Lady," Sebastian opened the door and it lead to a beautifully decorated room. She took a few steps inside until she reached the centre, examining every inch before she turned to thank Sebastian. To her surprise, all of her bags had been brought up and were now being put inside the wardrobe.

_"How on earth did he get all my bags up here so quickly?"_Elena thought, trying to hide her shocked expression. As she watched the butler place the last of the bags in the wardrobe, she waited for him to turn and look back at her. When he finally did, she smirked. She wasn't even sure if it was by habit of being content or if she was genuinely smiling at this butler.

"I can see why you're Ciel's butler," Elena said, getting up and moving closer to Sebastian.

His expression was almost of satisfaction, but when Elena ignored him and went through her bags, pulling them out of the wardrobe one-by-one, and searching through them–removing all their items and throwing them onto the floor–his expression lightened more. His smile widening, he knelt down beside Elena and began folding what she had pulled out. She noticed this and shook her head.

"What is the point of that?" Elena asked, watching him straighten all her belongings out, keeping a blank expression and speaking monotonously.

"Pardon me?" Sebastian looked up, his face still bearing a contagious grin that almost made Elena melt there and then. In all honesty, she'd caught him off guard with such an absurd question, but he wasn't about to allow her knowledge of that.

"That," Elena pointed at the growing pile of her folded clothes. "Why is it necessary to have everything perfect every, second of the day, even when it's just going to get messed up again in a moment or so?"

Sebastian looked down at the clothes he had been folding and then at Elena again. "It's my job as a butler to–"

"Wrong." Elena interrupted Sebastian, stopping and looking down, staring at the item of clothes in her hands. "You do it because if something is out of place, then something is…" Elena paused, gripping the item tighter, crinkling it and thinking hard, remembering those words, that family saying. She then stood, keeping the cloth firmly in her grip, her head still low.

Elena slowly made her way to the bathroom joined to her room, she stopped in the doorway and finished her sentence, "because if something is out of place, then something isn't right." Elena then closed the door.

Sebastian did believe what she said to be true, but in this house, how anything could remain perfect for long was a task only one _hell_of a butler could perform! This made him think even harder.

_"If something is out of place, then something isn't right."_ Sebastian repeated Elena's philosophy. _"I wonder if she means that, because of my being here, something isn't right? Though that would mean she knows of my not being human. What a strange human, she is. Still, an intriguing one at that, just like my young Master."_

_"Perhaps he understood what I meant?"_ Elena thought as she leant against the bathroom door. _"Perhaps someone else on this damned earth could comprehend the true meaning to that statement?"_

As soon as Elena had changed into her nightgown and returned to her room, she noticed all of her clothes and few items had been returned to the bags they were packed in and were returned to the wardrobe. Shaking her head, Elena walked over to the wardrobe and grabbed the first bag she could, opening it and shoving her clothes inside, then replacing it back into the wardrobe and closing the doors. She wandered over to the giant and unfamiliar bed. As she sat down, feeling the soft duvet and mattress sink under her light weight, she breathed a soft sigh.

_"It seems he might have misunderstood after all, even if he is that of someone who serves under the Phantomhive name."_


	2. Chapter 2

By morning, Elena had found a fresh set of her clothes neatly folded at the bottom of her bed, along with a note signed by Sebastian. She discarded the note before reading it and looked over the clothes the butler had picked out for her.

"_It seems the man has taste,"_ Elena thought. _"But taste is not enough to gain trust."_

Elena slid off the bed, going through her outfits she'd packed–grabbed and thrown into the nearest suitcase–and chose something less frilly, less eccentric, a simple dress. When she returned to her bed to place the clothes on, she peered at the note, her eyes flitting between the folded paper, the outfit he had chosen and the time on the grandfather clock over in the corner.

_**Good morning, Lady Elena,**_

**I have prepared your clothes for today and have also requested that Meirin, a female maid working in the manor, help assist you with anything personal like dressing, drawing your bath and anything else that you ask of her. Please do not hesitate to request her help, if you ring the bell near the door she will be right with you. Once you are ready, please make your way to the dining hall where breakfast will be served.**

**Sincerely,**  
><strong>Sebastian Michaelis<strong>

Elena thought for a moment, reading the short message over and over, then checked the time once again. It was 6AM, meaning Sebastian had been awake and wondering around the mansion much earlier than that. _"Had he been searching through my belongings, making it appear as if he was harmlessly doing the job of a butler and accompanying his Master's Guest's every whim?"_Elena thought not. She figured he had done that to get to her, to pick at her weakness of having everything the way it should be. But she also thought better than to outright accuse him of going through her things and purposely disturbing her peace.

For this, she would get a little revenge. She would make things harder for him, be it only subtle and sly actions and remarks, anything was better than nothing. She put the dress away that that butler had chosen, along with the previous outfit she had picked. She now pulled out something completely different, something that contradicted the other outfit in every way. She also refused the help of the maid, Meirin, not only because Sebastian had suggested her, but also because she did not need the help. Although she was of noble ranking, her father had insisted that they did not need the help of others and that help would only end up an inconvenience.

Elena slipped off her nightgown; she picked up the new items of clothing and smiled. She wandered into the bathroom and drew her own bath. Not twenty minutes later had she got out and began drying herself and her hair. Styling her long and dark auburn hair in a simple way, she brushed it and let it dry loose, allowing it to curl around the ends slightly. Continuing, she pulled on the clothes. They fit nicely to her figure, showing her curves, but at the same time, still concealing that early adulthood femininity.

These clothes were also much more comfortable and more convenient to wear, unlike dresses. Her mother always wanted her to wear the most eccentric and tight fitting dresses, sending them through the post to her whenever she picked some up from god knows where! But they always seemed to get in the way of investigating–as well as cut off her air-supply. So, Elena preferred something that wasn't as restraining, something that suited her taste more, something her father was more likely to wear.

A tailored shirt, jacket, pants and not to mention a pair of shoes that weren't going to threaten to break your neck if you needed to start up a run in them.

After dressing, Elena was content with herself and wandered downstairs towards the dining room. The house looked much bigger in the daylight; it also didn't look as morbid or hold any dark and veiled secrecy. Along the way, Elena noticed a blond boy, no taller than herself, walking in. He had a straw hat on and a giant smile plastered to his face. _"I wonder why he's so happy…"_Elena thought, walking up to him. She might as well ask this bright and cheery boy to escort her to the dining room as she had forgotten, much to her distaste, where it was after all the years of avoiding returning here.

"Hello, Sir?" Elena stuck with being formal, not knowing what rank he could be and not wanting to anger him if she called him anything less. Snobby, class-obsessed, people were such a pain. The boy looked at her, wide-eyed and bowed a little. Elena shook her head, now knowing he was just another servant at the Phantomhive household. She should have figured so, but you never did know sometimes.

"Good morning, Miss!" He was an awfully happy and free spirited young man, although, when he noticed Elena's clothes, his expression changed slightly, but just as quickly it returned to a cheery mien. "May I help you?"

"If it wouldn't inconvenience you, could you direct me to the dining room?"

The boy smiled, nodding his head enthusiastically. "Of course, this way, Miss."

"Thank you," Elena smiled formally.

The two carried on walking, exchanging their names. Finnian (preferably "Finny"), the gardener, as Elena came to know, seemed extremely grateful to be here, which was not of a surprise to Elena. She was sure serving under a happy child like Ciel would be fun, albeit exhausting with such childish antics. When Elena brought that idea up, Finny looked a little confused. He answered that having Ciel as his Master was something that he enjoyed everyday, but he didn't quite understand what Elena meant by him being "happy" per se. Elena noticed that Finny had faltered with her words, but she had already determined that this guy couldn't possibly be of any threat.

As soon as they had arrived at the dining hall and Elena had been seated, she noticed Jasper was at the opposite end of the table. Wanting to move and sit closer to him, she was about to get up when a plate was placed in front of her. That butler leant beside her smirking, subtly eyeing her outfit. Even though she could hardly see the man, what with her face directed to the plate in front of her, she could feel him looking at her. His dark eyes burning right through her, as if he could see right through her flesh and bone to the depths of her soul.

"I see you didn't request Meirin for any assistance?" Sebastian spoke, gesturing for him to take the teacup. Elena nodded subtly just as he was taking the china cup from the table, regardless of her answer.

"There was no need to bother her." Elena was short and to the point. Ever since she had met Sebastian, something about him just didn't sit right with her. She turned and watched him pour the tea into the cup from an amazing height without making a mess of any sort. She was surprised, but suspicious more than ever.

"I also see that you chose something different to wear?" Elena ignored him; he returned her cup to the table, now filled with a steaming tea, the fragrance of cinnamon and vanilla hitting all her senses with full force. "Was the outfit I chose too bothersome to put on without assistance? If you'd have liked, _I_could have succoured you with getting into that dress," Sebastian whispered, his breath grazing her ear, and subtly touching her arm with his as he stood straight behind the chair, out of her peripheral vision.

_"What is he doing? Is he trying to provoke me?"_ Thoughts flooded Elena's mind. _"I didn't think a butler would be so bold. Perhaps he did understand what I meant last night. Sebastian, you are not right. There's something incredibly wrong about you."_

"N-no, I just didn't like what y-you picked out," Elena retaliated, stuttering at first. She felt the need to find out what it was that made his very existence _wrong,_what made him unlike everyone else, why it was as if she could feel all the seams tearing away from her just by his presence.

"But Milady, I chose them out of your hand-picked garments," Sebastian smiled, no, grinned. It was more out of amusement than simply being happy. As he thought, despite being different, she was still human and couldn't resist his demonic charms laced with lust and dominance if he dared splay them out so publicly.

"What kind of chit-chat is this for a butler to be partaking in? It is highly unheard of. Besides, I didn't choose that dress, I simply packed everything I owned. Very few of those items were hand-picked," Elena kept her voice cool and monotone now. She picked up the silverware, about to inspect the food as if it were second nature, as if knowing that he couldn't possibly have anything to retaliate with. She smiled to herself, regaining her buoyancy.

"Touch_é,_" a silent chuckle. "Very well, I'll keep both points in mind for future reference." Sebastian left, leaving Elena frozen in place. This meant that he _had_ in fact invaded her space and that he blatantly said he would do it _again._She was speechless, something she'd only ever been when challenging her father.

Elena diverted her gaze to where the butler had left, searching the outside room with her eyes, one of her more powerful senses. At such a simple battle, she had lost. But Elena knew better than to completely give up and just accept defeat, she had way too much pride for that. Surely it would be the sin that would make her pay with her life.

_"I may have lost the battle, Sebastian, but I will not lose the war."_

Waiting patiently, she decided to skip breakfast, instead she picked up the teacup, decorated with flowing, loose curves and delicate flowers, and inspected it harshly. She smelt it, stared at it and even watched as Jasper took a harmless sip before she even dared to take sip of her own. She let the taste run down her throat and she couldn't help but compliment Sebastian–_secretly_. He was extraordinarily good at preparing tea. Moments later, Sebastian returned with Ciel. He was seated next to her, diagonally, at the head of the table–this made Elena think of how lonely Jasper must feel, sitting by himself at the opposite end.

"I see you arrived safely," Ciel spoke.

His voice had completely caught her off guard. This was not the tone the boy used nine years ago, nor was this his usual expression, despite hitting puberty and maturing, Elena was finding herself unable to speak. What had happened to him while she stopped visiting him? This couldn't be purely based on the loss of his parents, could it? All Elena could do was nod in response.

"Has everything been to your liking so far?" Ciel's voice, once again, startled her. She nodded again, noticing the eye patch covering his right eye. _"When did that get there?"_She thought.

Elena stared into his one visible eye, trying to decipher his thoughts. "Something is not right about you."

Elena's question seemed to catch Ciel off guard now, "Excuse me?" he almost choked on his freshly made marmalade covered toast. He was not only shocked to hear _he_wasn't right, but coming from Elena, he was surprised.

"You're different, where is your smile? What happened to the Ciel I knew nine years ago?"

Ciel had heard the questions, disregarding them completely. He couldn't answer her truthfully and he knew if he tried to lie, she would see through him in an instant. "I could ask you the same thing."

Elena looked down; she couldn't help but think back to _that_time. She noticed the two staring at her. Smiling, she continuing the conversation. "I grew up early. I've seen and lived through things. Also, Father made sure I was never accustomed to a fantastical world while he was breathing."

Ciel, in turn, feigned a smile and answered, "Must be a curse to our bloodline."

Both cousins knew the other had something underlining their true meaning, but they both knew not to press on. Their truth was a secret they each wanted to keep to themselves and the two of them respected that secret. Sebastian was a little confused, he knew of Ciel's dark history, but he hadn't anticipated Elena to have a muddied past too. This made him even more curious of her. He wanted to find out more and divulge into the dark corners of Elena's human mind. How he loved the traumatised and disjointed pasts that tortured the very existence of the humans, the hardened souls which no longer bound a secure bond with the mind and body. Sebastian loved the souls that were heading for an infinite abyss in the afterlife, to him and others alike, they were a delicacy.

"Well, now that we've broken the ice," Ciel leant forward, resting his elbows on the table, intertwining his fingers and resting his head on his hands, grinning that loveable smile, "why is that you've come here?"

"Yesterday, I woke up to my father missing. I was hoping you could help me solve the case, Mr. Phantomhive." Elena relaxed in her chair, watching Ciel's movements closely, analysing him carefully.

"Did you find any evidence?" Ciel asked quizzically. Elena shook her head in response. "Then why would you bother to ask me for help? If Sherlock's prodigy daughter couldn't even come up with a clue, how could I?" He smirked and quickly glanced at his butler. Elena took note of impulsive act.

"Although that's _true_, you couldn't find a clue if _I_ can't," Elena spoke half-heartedly, "I actually have a very distinguishable clue. And I thought: _'Who better to ask than the so called Watchdog of London's underworld? T__he Queens-bitch.__'"_Ciel looked up, suppressing a twitch to his eye from the degrading name, a bittersweet expression playing on his lips. "So, will you help me?"

"I suppose," Ciel nodded and stood. He motioned for Elena to follow. "We can discuss this in more depth in my office." Elena stood too, copying Ciel's movements. He eyed her outfit and cocked an eyebrow; it looked miraculously like the one he was wearing. He then looked at Sebastian who only smiled–believing since he saw Elena first, that he purposely dressed him similarly. "Sebastian, clear any morning appointments and prepare us some more tea. This is now cold and not too my liking. I'd much prefer a subtler taste and smell."

"Yes, my Lord," Sebastian complied and departed for the servant's quarters.


	3. Chapter 3

Ciel had led Elena into his office, the place for discussing business. It was a rather large room, his desk was seated at the far back wall, a window behind it, allowing natural daylight to spread throughout the room. Outside, Elena could see the garden Elizabeth, Ciel and herself used to play on, although Elizabeth and Ciel were too young to remember such times when Elena joined in. When she turned five–Ciel and Elizabeth being four–she insisted on asking Uncle Vincent to go and make up treasure hunts and mystery games for her to solve while she stayed over.

Her reflection in the window was rather odd, she could see herself as a young, carefree girl as well as the wreck she was now whilst surrounded by the beautiful scene of greenery below.

Ciel ushered Elena to take a seat as he walked around the other side of the table, she snapped out of her thoughts instantaneously as she watched him move first. Without a sound, Sebastian had entered and quickly stood behind the chair Ciel was about to sit on, pulling it out for him and pushing it in once Ciel was seated. Just as Elena had grasped the fact that Sebastian was actually _here_, he was already beside her, repeating his previous actions and motioning for her to sit. Elena looked at him suspiciously; a hint of curiosity in her eyes, but complied with the silent demand.

"Like I told you earlier this morning, when I arrived," Elena kept her eyes on Sebastian, "I can see why you're Ciel's butler, but are you anything more than _just _a butler? An _assassin, _perhaps? Or another form of_ lethality?" _Elena laughed dryly, making it seem as a joke, when in fact she was dead serious.

To that, Sebastian replied, "No, I'm just one hell of a butler." He, too, mimicked a smiled. Leaving and returning momentarily with a new batch of tea, he had also brought a few selsct scones and croissants, as well as a variety of toppings to garnish. He had taken into account that Lady Elena hadn't eaten breakfast and Sebastian, sure as _hell_, wasn't in the mood to be scolded by his Master for not keeping her health in check.

"So, your clue," Ciel announced, getting right to the point. "What distinguishable clue have _you_found that no one else could?" He took the teacup Sebastian had placed in front of him and sipped at the boiling beverage gingerly.

Elena smiled, yet again leaning back into her chair. She looked at the butler, his eyes a deeper red than before and his expression appearing almost genuinely curious. "Well," Elena averted her eyes back to her family, Ciel, "I found _nothing._" She then, in turn, went to drink her tea, though remembered she wasn't at home and had to be cautious of her beverages and food. Eyeing Sebastian slyly from the corner of her eye, she slowly went to take a sip. Surprise hit her senses and she lightly smiled at the taste before she realised what she'd done. Though afterwards, she was hoping he hadn't noticed–he did.

Ciel was confused; he thought he'd heard her wrong and asked her to repeat her clue, to rephrase it, in hope he'd understand her more clearly the second time around.

"My clue, is that there _was_ nothing," Elena fidgeted in her seat, "there was _no_ evidence, _nothing_ out of place, nothing _clearly_wrong."

"So, what you're telling me is," Ciel swallowed hard, thinking about the answer, "_nothing _happened?"

Elena and Sebastian chuckled in unison and as soon as they had realised, they both ceased any noise erupting from their vocals. Both straightening up, Elena cleared her throat and brought her attention back to Ciel.

"No, something _is_ wrong. My father has a saying, 'If something's out of place, then something isn't right'," Elena's expression hardened as she saw the boy cock and eyebrow, she sighed inwardly. "Let me explain," Elena looked up to the butler and watched him as she clarified the proper meaning, hoping he'd understand her too. "When everything is in order, then nothing is wrong, but that's not always the case, if something were to be too right or too perfect, then something is, again, wrong. That _is_indeed the case here, as everything at my home was too perfect. There wasn't a thing out of place, if anything, I think the culprit actually cleaned up a little!"

That statement made Ciel a tad nervous; he eyed his butler as did his butler glance at his Master momentarily. They both knew Elena had noticed this, how could she not? It was very conspicuous, but Ciel hoped she took it as if he and his butler now understood her and her father's philosophy, rather than them being wary of the fact that Elena might catch onto Sebastian's true identity, or worse yet, the contract they had formed.

Elena returned her gaze to Ciel, his long fringe restricting his vision, concealing his visible eye. She awaited Ciel's answer, a reaction to her statement, but only silence came. He looked to be pondering, but deep down, where Elena had invaded his underlying acts, he was hindered speechless and wasn't able to blatantly give Elena an answer she'd believe.

Ciel replayed her words in his mind over and over, hoping to find something, an explanation to it all that would make sense.

_"…if something were to be too right or too perfect, then something is wrong."_

"There wasn't a thing out of place..."

"…too perfect…"

"…something is wrong."

How could he tell Elena that the culprit must either be a Death God or the work of Demon? She would think he was insane, think he wasn't fit to be working under the Queen anymore. He looked to his butler, the only one who could completely understand him without saying a word. He went to say something but was interrupted by Elena.

"You know you can tell me if you have an idea," Elena stated, sitting forward in her chair, resting her hands on the table that separated the two adolescents. "It doesn't matter how absurd it may sound, _anything is possible._"

Ciel could see the glimmer of hope in her eyes, wanting him to share the undeniable truth, but could he possibly do that? It would make his life hell if news got around that Demons and Death Gods existed, especially if it got out that he'd been working with a Demon in exchange for his _soul._ They'd surely hang him, and all who were suspected of knowing, if such madness got out!

He now knew that Elena understood a person's actions and thoughts just by reading simple expressions and reflexes of the body, so he smiled, perhaps Elena would someday be as valuable to him as Sebastian was and he couldn't help but make a remark regarding that fact, "nothing escapes you, does it?"

"Never," Elena smirked.

"Would you mind if I tested that theory?"

Elena looked at her cousin, insulted, but feeling overly confident, she shook her head and sat back, crossing her arms. She allowed Ciel to go ahead with his plan.

"Sebastian," Ciel's voice was somewhat darker, his expression hard with no sign of ever showing regret, "go and search Elena's home, make sure nothing has been left unseen, make sure to keep an eye out for any evidence that could lead to the criminal." Elena stared at Ciel; his eyes never looked away from Sebastian's. "That's an order!"

Sebastian smirked; his eyes glittered and shone a fluorescent pink, "Yes, my Lord."

Before Sebastian had time to turn around and get on with his present order, Elena watched his eyes flash and change in the reflection of the glass behind Ciel. She kept her body calm and her expression blank, but inside her mind, she was confused and had many questions that she wanted, no, needed answering! She figured Ciel was aware of this trait his butler had and asking him directly would only cause trouble for her and set hiim off most likely. So, what did Elena do? She retreated to her room to begin solving the mystery of what Sebastian actually was.

_"What could do that to someone?"_ Elena thought hard, _"What are all the possibilities that could cause a man's eyes to change into an inhuman colour?There's a chance he's sick, but Ciel would not employ an ill servant, nor have I heard of eyes alternating through pink hues to his red..."_ It then hit her; the only adjective she used caused a domino effect of multiple reasons and explanations to fall into place, _"...inhuman". _

Thinking hard about what she was starting to believe, regardless of how absurd it sounded, it made a lot of sense. All that was keeping her from getting lost in her mind was the fact that Sebastian wasn't human and was now in her house and would be back here at any given time.

_"For a human,"_ Elena started, _"he is skilled in a questionable amount of things. His flawless attributes, his arrogant attitude, but then with an all too calm and collected voice and composure, it's hard to believe he's capable of mistakes on his own. He also can move silently and quicker than anyone I've even heard of. _

_"He does have a negative, enchanting atmosphere about him too. I was rendered useless against him this morning with something as simple as words leaving him."_ Elena thought hard at what could do such things, he was surely not _just_ a skilful or talented butler, Sebastian _had_ to be more than that or it wouldn't make sense otherwise. She thought for what seemed like hours until she heard the front door being opened and closed.

Quickly, Elena jumped up from her bed and ran to the top of the stairs, watching from above behind the railing.

"Did you come up with anything?" Ciel asked Sebastian, one hand, curt on his hip, and his other was wrapped delicately around his cane.

"I'm afraid, young Master," Sebastian answered, pausing briefly for a dramatic effect, "I have turned up with 'nothing', also."

"You mean you found nothing, or there was nothing to be found?"

"There was nothing to be found, hence I found 'nothing'. As it seems, my Lord, Lady Elena was right. There was no evidence at the scene, so much nonentity that it was questionable that that's how it was planned."

Ciel bit his lip and cursed under his breath, but Elena was far more interested in this uncanny butler. She watched from above, quietly creeping behind the bars of the railing by the banister. She wanted to find out what he was exactly.

"You know what that means though, don't you?" Sebastian continued, he slightly tilted his head up and Elena had almost thought she had been caught, but he began scratching his neck.

Elena let a breath out slowly, calming herself again. Although, she still found herself gazing at Sebastian's slender fingers, tracing his skin gracefully. Soon she had become so memerised with watching the butler's grace that she began blocking out what the two were talking about. The butler's stance and soft, ever flowing movements were engulfing her attention completely.

"You really think that would happen?" Ciel asked.

"The crime scene was too clean, my Lord, who else would you suspect?"

"Are you sure?" Ciel asked, exasperated, this brought Elena back from the trance she found herself in.

Quickly thinking back to Sebastian's alter ego, Elena had ruled out the possibilities of him being in something as simple as an occult, specialising in the dark arts. He was not good, nor was he all bad either. _"What kind of creature would go so far as to submit to a human? And what would be their price for their services?" _Elena thought hard.

"Yes, my Lord. I assure you I am not wrong, I am one _hell_of a butler, am I not?"

_"...one 'hell' of a butler."_ It wasn't as though he'd blatantly come out and said it, no, it was subtle with a double meaning. _"'Hell', the Devil's playground. Certainly, he would be a little too preoccupied to deal with children, let alone wait on them hand and foot! But he clearly is not right. He has a darker passion for life. _

_"So, other than the Devil, what could he be? Think Elena, think! I've been told that Hell consists of sinners turned slaves and his minions, the–" _

The female nearly slapped herself from the obviousness of the answer.

_"He can't be, though he fits the description a little too well for comfort, if he is not human."_ Elena sighed. _"So, is this the reason Ciel isn't as cheerful anymore?"_

"Very well, I'll see to it that we find Sherlock as soon as possible then," Ciel continued.

_"Because he's been claimed…"_

"Yes, my Lord." Sebastian then looked upstairs, unsurprised to find Elena intently looking down at him, eyes never leaving him.

_"…by a…"_

"Ah, miss Holmes," Sebastian exclaimed, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "I assume you overheard our conversation." Elena was startled by the humour hidden beneath his sultry voice; it was elegant and would perfectly pronounce anything he spoke.

_"…Demon?"_

"Then, shall we begin the investigation?"


	4. Chapter 4

_August 7th 1891_

It was eight in the morning. The crisp, cold winds pricked at Elena and Ciel's skin furiously while Sebastian stayed content with the weather. Elena was keeping an even closer eye on him now that she knew he wasn't human, this fact not only made her curious of his existence and why such a creature would listen to a fifteen–soon to be sixteen–year old, but agitated her because she knew she would no longer be able to completely concentrate on the case of her missing father. Not to mention she now knew why Sherlock never trusted their our old Nanny. Relative unconditional help is usually very suspicious, not to mention their comings and goings appear most…_sinister._

"Are you sure you wouldn't like to wear my coat, my Lady?" Sebastian offered Elena for the fifth time that morning, his obnoxious expression playing on Elena's patience. "That outfit you have on doesn't seem to be insulated very well."

Elena shot him a glare, "I said it before, though it seems I shall have to say it again. I'm not at all that cold and need not your concern nor your clothes," she spat, lying. Elena was indeed freezing, but she refused to wear anything that had touched that _thing._ "Besides, if you gave me your coat, wouldn't you indeed be the one to catch a cold? Or worse, pneumonia? We can't have you out sick, pardon me, _Ciel_can't have you out sick. He might have to lift a finger if you fell ill, and we certainly can't have that!" Elena said in a sickly sweet tone, smiling up at him knowing she had perhaps caught him out this time.

"I have two coats on. Nevertheless, your health is much more important than a servant, such as myself."

Elena shook her head; she knew his eyes were an even darker shade of red as he spoke in that smug tone. But in spite of that, she couldn't believe anyone could just dispose of the life they were given so easily, be that even if he weren't of this world.

"You should have more self-worth," Elena stated, facing forward, "death is easy to come by. It threatens us humans everyday. I'm sure there must be _someone_in this godforsaken place that would shed a tear for someone like… you, wouldn't you agree?"

There was a brief silence, one that almost had Elena feeling as if she'd left won one of the banters they shared. Almost.

Curiously, a little surprised at the sudden change in Elena's tone, Sebastian asked, "Would you?"

Sighing, she ignored the butler entirely and tried focusing completely on the case of her missing father. Ciel had mentioned that they would be visiting a friend of his, someone who knows a lot of the underground and what happens there. Ciel mentioned he could give Elena closure about whether Sherlock was still alive–_or not_.

The three stopped out the front of a dreary looking building. It wasn't a very large structure, but it looked run down and possibly out of business. The windows were boarded up and the sign out the front read "Undertaker".

"Your friend works _here?_" Elena couldn't hold back the utter annoyance in her voice, raising her eyebrow.

Elena could feel her blood boiling at the very thought that Ciel would think to bring her to see the Undertaker for closure, albeit it was a good idea, but it scared her to think that if he were to say yes and have proof of Sherlock's body, Elena wouldn't know what she would do.

"Trust me, he knows everything about the dead," Ciel answered carelessly, only annoying Elena more, eliciting a twitch of her eyelid and a subtle glare.

"What the young Master means," Sebastian leant down to Elena's level, a hand on her shoulder for comfort, "is that, if the Undertaker knows nothing of Master Holmes, then there's a good chance he is still alive."

"As much as I'd like to 'thank you' for that comforting reassurance," Elena diverted her eyes to the side, meeting Sebastian's gaze, "please remove your hand from my shoulder and _never_touch me again."

Sebastian smiled, slowly taking his hand off her shoulder; Elena returned her attention to the entrance. Although the butler had a contract with Ciel and had to, ultimately, listen to _his_ every command, he did not in fact have to listen to _Elena,_making his next notion seem all the more entertaining.

The three proceeded to enter the Undertaker's domain, Sebastian purposely walking into Elena's back, forcing her to loose her footing and rely on Sebastian's quick reflexes to stop her from falling, catching her in a tight embrace against his chest. Her expression was not amused, instantaneously, roughly pushing off from the demonic butler, she straightened out her clothes–almost identical to her father's–_and _Ciel's, it would seem.

"I'm terribly sorry, Milady," Sebastian bowed, "please forgive my clumsiness."

"I won't forgive you, because you're not sorry!" Elena spun to face him, readying to slap him.

A warning glance from Ciel had her regain some cool momentarily. Elena's raised arm went limp, but the rest of her remained tense. This butler made her exasperated at the slightest of things. Sebastian looked up, feigning a hurt and regretful expression.

Elena pinched the bridge of her nose, knowing she shouldn't get on the bad side of her second-cousin, let alone an entity from the underworld. Sighing, she added, "That, and you aren't clumsy, not in the slightest. If you plan to lie, at least make it plausible."

With that, Elena left Sebastian bowing in the thick snow, his pants now wet and clinging to his pale, ashen skin.

He smiled even wider, _"A human who tortures themselves by resisting my charm, or who could see past the true intentions of a Demon,"_ he thought, _"is truly impressive."_

It was dark inside the Undertaker's building, only few slits of sunlight passed through between the wooden boards nailed against the windows. Elena inspected the place as best as she could in the placid room. Coffins and wooden crosses decorated the walls, there was quite a bit of dust smothering the air too–nothing out of the ordinary…as of yet.

"Ah, Earl Phantomhive," Undertaker exclaimed, creeping from behind the shadows and into what little light there was.

"Undertaker," Ciel nodded.

"Are you finally here to get measured for your very own coffin?"

It was then that Undertaker had noticed Elena leaning effortlessly against a coffin. She was indeed rather intrigued by this man, but she couldn't trust him, not yet. _"Be cautious of everyone, you never know what their intentions may be,"_ Sherlock told Elena when she was four. _"Also, never leave your drink unattended at a party; people are prone to poisoning them."_He'd added just as Ms. Hudson, the Landlady, had come in and served tea–he never trusted her, he only ever trusted Watson and Elena and the one who must not be named–seeing as no insult or cuss was bad enough to describe her.

"And who might this delectable soul be?" Undertaker scampered over to Elena's side, "Are you perhaps here for _your_measurements?"

"Undertaker," Ciel bellowed, "who on earth would come here for that? Anyway, we came for information on the whereabouts of Sherlock Holmes."

"Holmes, huh?" Undertaker crept back to his usual place behind his desk, smiling sadistically. "How much is this information worth to you, dear Ciel?"

The Earl sighed; he knew he'd have to smile for Undertaker one day, if he wanted to continue to use him for information, that is. He was about to request that Elena and Sebastian leave but was cut off by Elena chuckling. She caught everyone's attention.

"Ciel, there's no need to be here any longer if gathering information about Sherlock is your only purpose," Elena smiled. "He knows nothing of Sherlock's current status and according to your butler," Elena quickly flit her eyes between the three males, "that means there's a good chance he's still _alive._"

Elena intrigued Undertaker; he crept back over to her side and leant against the coffin she was resting on. His hands were linked and sitting under his chin. He smiled up at her and asked: "And what makes you so sure I know nothing of him?"

"I never said you knew 'nothing of him', I said you knew nothing of his 'current status'."

"I suppose you did," Undertaker slid closer, his arm now grazing Elena's side, "then, how do you _know_, I know nothing of his _current status_?"

"Your tone of voice when you spoke of him, if you'd have seen him around your neck of the woods, you'd have sounded slightly more curious as to why Ciel would be asking about him, would you not?"

"Ahaha," Undertaker voiced his trademark laugh. "This soul is even more mouth-watering than I'd first thought! But are you sure I don't know anything about Mr. Holmes' current predicament?"

"Positive," Elena smiled. "Because the way you're going about this topic isn't at all in a manner someone would suggest they knew something more than what the local paper would have read. You're using such loose terms in an attempt to suggest you know something when in fact you have no idea. You gain information-when you know nothing, yourself–by the reactions and responses by the questions you give. Also, the way you jumped right to the price of your nonexistent information, rather than asking something along the lines of 'what would you like to know?', gave away the fact that you knew nothing.

"Does that about sum up your way of swindling someone out of the form of payment you require for an answer or would you prefer to be compared to one of the many fortune-tellers off the streets? I don't mean to insult or offend you, but, if that's your best–from that display earlier–then you've really got no business being an informer–moreover, one of the watchful eyes of the underbelly of London."

No one responded vocally. Ciel was speechless, had he known she was so good at reading people he'd have contacted her back when he had first formed the contract with Sebastian. She was a good ally to have; perhaps having her around was going to be better than he thought. Sebastian wasn't entirely surprised with her wits, but he was a little taken aback that she'd been able to decipher the ways of a _Death God_. Undertaker was more than amused, he was excited. His smile was frozen on his face, he stared at Elena–a line of drool slowly formed from his mouth to the edge of his chin–she was smiling back, in return.

"Earl," Undertaker spoke, "what a charming young Lady you've brought along."

"Thank you," Elena and Ciel answered in perfect unison, the only difference was of the tone–Ciel was still in a shocked daze whereas Elena had retained her smug attitude.

"Evidently, her impeccable intelligence has entertained me! Consider that payment for the information."

"Yes, yes," Ciel sighed and waited for an answer to his question, "can you just tell us what you know?"

"It seems she was correct on all counts," Undertaker laughed, "I know nothing." Ciel's palm flew directly to his forehead in annoyance. "Might I ask your name?" Undertaker requested politely, returning his veiled eyes to Elena's. "Your Magic Play would be an intriguing read!" Ciel and Sebastian looked at one another and frowned.

_"Why is he so careless at keeping the depths of the underworld a secret?"_Ciel thought to himself, and as if Sebastian had read his mind, Sebastian stepped in, changing the subject.

"It appears, Undertaker has nothing more to say. Young Master, Lady Elena," Sebastian mentioned–inattentively dropping her name–Sebastian's eyes never leaving the back of Undertaker's head, "shall we continue to our next stop?"

Ciel nodded, and then Sebastian and he proceeded to leave. Elena pushed up from the empty coffin, subtly giving a quick wink at Undertaker and followed them to the exit. As she was nearing the front door, she overheard Undertaker speaking.

"'Elena', was it?" she stopped. "You know, for someone so young and _deeply disturbed,_ you sure are a lot like him, Miss Holmes_._"

"Thank you," Elena replied in monotonous voice and left the building, catching up with Ciel and the inhuman butler.

As the trio continued walking through the streets, Elena couldn't help but replay what Undertaker had said to her over and over in her mind. Elena wondered if, because he had known who she was, whether or not he knew of her past. Deep in thought, Elena was no longer concentrating and walked into Sebastian's back. She nearly fell backwards from his solid body, but grabbed hold of his coat just in the nick of time, managing to pull herself from her imbalance and land against his back, still holding on for support.

"Are you alright, Lady Elena?" Sebastian asked with a small smirk now playing on his lips, Elena couldn't help but blush from the slight embarrassment she felt. She didn't let go right away though, in fear he'd see her flushed face.

"O-of course I am," Elena said, trying desperately to hide her face as she let go and stood on her own again. "Where are we?" Elena asked, looking down the streets, the familiarity of their whereabouts slowly dawning on her.

"Baker Street, Milady," Sebastian answered.

Elena bit her lip, nervously. Baker Street. The street she and her father used to live on. It made her a little nervous being here; it brought back so many memories of her mother and that day when Elena was taken. As they continued to stroll down the street, the particular place where she was abducted was getting closer. They passed another two blocks and Elena's breath began to race faster, her heart was pounding in her chest. Slowly following her cousin and his butler, Elena eventually stopped, staring to her right at the exact location where she had been abducted by a cloaked group.

"We have another place to visit, a crime scene that was similar to yours, is that alright, Elena?" Ciel asked, not bothering to look back while speaking to her. When he got no response he repeated her name. "Elena, I asked if that was alright." He still got no response, so he turned back and noticed Elena was staring absentmindedly down the street they'd previously crossed. He looked up to Sebastian who, in turn, returned the silent gaze. Ciel and Sebastian walked back towards Elena.

"Elena?" Ciel asked, "Elena, are you okay?"

He reached out to touch her arm, when she realised this, Elena blocked his touch. Ciel jumped back at the sudden reflex of his cousin, Sebastian holding him steady. Elena took a moment to regain composure before she apologised and took another look down the street. Shaking her head, she continued forward. Unwanted memories playing over and over in her mind.

"You said we had somewhere else to visit?"


	5. Chapter 5

They soon arrived at the next destination to be met with Scotland Yard and curious civilians swarming the crime scene. When Elena's face filled with curiosity after realising where her cousin had brought her, Ciel couldn't resist letting a sly grin grace his lips. The three entered the home that was now considered nothing more than evidence. Both Elena and Sebastian taking in every minor and overlooked detail.

"Earl, you made it!" Aberline called from behind a red curtain that separated the living room from the kitchen.

"Of course I did," Ciel put on his usual expression of nonchalance, "since when have I ever skipped a case the Queen has asked of me?"

"Right," Aberline laughed, stepping back and accidentally bumping Elena who was looking in her cousin's direction, an odd expression playing on her face. "Oh, I'm sorry, Miss!" Aberline jumped back in response, he was about to question who she was and why such a young Lady was at this kind of place, but was cut off from Ciel answering for her.

"Don't worry, Aberline, there's no need to be concerned about her," Ciel then smirked to himself, "if anything, she should worry about you and how you take care of these sorts of cases."

"Well, that's all well and good, Earl, but..." Aberline bit his lip, "But in order for me to allow her to stay and continue, I'll need to know who she is and she'll have to have a warrant with her name on it, like yourself."

"If you need to know my identity," Elena spoke up, still taking notes of every detail in the once peaceful home, "you should start off by addressing the individual who is present and capable of answering for themselves." Elena flicked her eyes to her cousin for a moment before returning them to some shelves filled with ornaments. "Also, wouldn't it be polite – and regulation – to introduce yourself first? Do you not agree, _Fred _Aberline, Officer of Scotland Yard? Lead Investigator of this case – if you could even call this pathetic excuse that." Elena shook her head as she continued to search the room.

Before Aberline could take another breath after already having been known, Elena stood up from the ground abruptly, a pocket watch in hand. She then turned to Ciel and asked him what kind of case this was exactly and what his intentions were for bringing her along. He replied that it was one extremely similar to her Father's missing person's case. Elena then returned her attention to the broken watch, deep in thought – Sebastian noticing this and frowning slightly.

"You are a liar, Phantomhive. And a terrible one at that." Elena tightened her fist around the found item. "For those who have not realised it yet, there is enough proof that this missing woman has absolutely _no_ relation to the Holmes case and therefore, _I_ have no interest in this case."

Elena spotted the Commissioner out the front and decided to confront him personally of whom the perpetrator is. The Earl caught up to his second cousin, finally able to talk again.

"I am not a liar–" Ciel was cut off by a light chuckle coming from his butler's throat. "I admit I knew this case was hardly likely to have any relation to the Holmes case, but there was no guaranteed certainties when Scotland Yard had mentioned not finding any evidence to date. That is enough of an explanation you need to make sense of my reasoning. Now, back to the main issue at hand! I thought you enjoyed solving cases–"

"Tch. With all due respect, if Scotland Yard had not found anything so blatantly visible during the first sweeping, I think that it is clear enough to say that they are immensely inept at even the most basic of police training. But with what you have been told, I suppose it isn't completely your fault for wasting my time." Elena sighed. "But I will correct you. You obviously have me pinned for a complete different person, Earl. Do not mistake my appreciation of a good mystery for actually caring for the victims. It's the emotional ties that are cause for the pain when things go wrong. The bonds with the victim are what cloud judgement and logical explanations and reasoning."

"Is that why you took it upon yourself to solve Uncle Holmes' case?" Ciel challenged her. He hated being made out to be an idiot, so at this time, getting a one-up on his second cousin seemed to only be possible when tying her father into the conversation.

From her expression, Ciel realised he only got the last word in by playing dirty. The moment he realised how painful what he said must have been for her, he stifled a sigh. Having already stormed out, he followed and grabbed her shoulder, forcing her to face him. "Elena, wait!"

"Don't announce my name so publicly!" Elena snapped, and then pushed him back. Taking a deep breath, she wiped a tear from her cheek silently thanking the Commissioner, Lord Randall, for having already gotten rid of the crowding civilians. "You're right though. As much as I hate to admit it. I took up a case I have a personal interest in. But the pain I feel every moment I fail him by not having solved the case already is nowhere near as much as I would if I were to just sit back and wait for some idiot with a badge to come knocking on my door telling me they've not found anything and it's time to move on."

A single tear escaped her eye, she looked at him with such hatred and malice that he fell frozen to her commanding words. "Regardless, I don't _ever_ want you to touch me again, Ciel. That is no threat, Earl, but a promise. And might I just add that your extraordinary butler won't always be around to save your ass. You will slip up on your own account one day, and if you go around pissing the wrong people off, you will certainly regret it for death is but a mercy in this world. Do not forget that."

They were all rendered frozen. Even Sebastian was unable to respond to her dark tone at this time. He picked up on the way she had described him as "extraordinary" but it was in no way a complimenting or positive matter. Figuring she had already realised he was not human, he would now have to tread more carefully around her if he did not want to fail his Master's wishes.

_"...I don't ever want you to touch me again…"_

It was vastly parallel to what she'd told him earlier that day, just as they were entering the Undertaker's shop when he had tested her expression and notion reading skills. _"She really mustn't like to be touched without permission," _Sebastian thought to himself as he walked over to his Master, placing a hand on his shoulder–he could see a strange similarity with Elena and Ciel, his Master also never allowed anyone to touch him without permission, except himself, of course.

"Elena–"

"Leave me be." Elena shook her head at the three men, her feet crunching in the snow, "I need to think... _alone_."

Ciel attempted to go after her, but Sebastian tightened his grip on his Master's shoulder, slowly shaking his head at the young boy. Ciel sighed, believing that leaving her to think on her own for a while was better than to possibly agitate her more.

"Michaelis," Elena threw the pocket watch to him, then hugged herself with both arms, refusing to let the cold in anymore than it already had, "tell Her Majesty's _Dog_ the initials of the kidnapper are engraved on the inside of that item."

Elena had already in fact solved the case in less than half an hour of investigating, she was in fact preoccupied with finding her Father, yet her skills were never hesitant. Once Ciel had looked at the pocket watch and the initials inside, there was no doubt she was correct. The inscription of two letters were of an infamous serial killer who kidnapped females and then, around a week later, their body would turn up on the street they lived on. Ronald Gallery had always been suspected but with no evidence ever being found before, he was always released.

Elena had been wandering the streets of London for hours. Any sign of it being daytime had long passed. The sky was now an inky black with clouds suffocating the night sky so much that it appeared to be a moonless night. The only source of light being that of the few lonely street lamps evenly spaced out along the empty roads.

Although Elena knew exactly where she was, she had no idea where her destination would end up. She'd been peregrinating around town like that all day, walking aimlessly, hoping to find a reason to return to the Phantomhive Manor. Thinking about Ciel so suddenly, it then struck her that she was second in line to marry him should anything prevent Elizabeth Middleford from doing so. Her first initial response was not one of approval.

_"I wonder who Ciel loves more,"_ Elena thought, now picturing her other cousin, _"Elizabeth Middleford or the bloody Queen of England!"_Elena chuckled at her thought, _"I'll have to tell someone that."_

The thought of Sebastian crept into her mind, she could tell him and he would surely laugh a little, amused at the expense of his Master.

"What am I thinking?" Elena stopped and said aloud, her voice dripping with regret and disgust. "Why on Earth would I coincide with that... _creature_?"

She now continued to walk in the freezing air–the temperature continuously dropping at an alarming rate–something entirely different absorbing her free thoughts and angering her now. Before she knew it, she had actually gotten lost, only aggravating her more.

"I suppose Father never had this much to think about while solving cases," Elena sighed, resting her back against the frozen bricks of an old home. A sneeze escaped her and she shook her head, "I suppose he never left his partner's side while in the middle of a case either."

After wiping her face from the sudden, forceful, and involuntary expel of air, she slammed her fist against the brick wall she was leaning against in anger. Elena wondered, if she had taken after her Mother more, if life would be better? If she would be happier knowing Sherlock had turned up missing? She stifled a laugh at her parents, one a famous detective, the other, an infamous criminal.

_"I wonder if Mother knows Father has been kidnapped,"_ Elena straightened herself up, beginning to walk back the way she had come, _"I wonder if she even cares."_

Elena shuddered at the cold, only dawning on her now that if she didn't get back sometime soon she would surely freeze to death and then what good would she be to her father? Following her faint footprints that were disappearing quickly from the fast falling snow, she eventually lost her path and still had no idea where she was.

She breathed heavily, trying to calm herself down, her breath no longer visible in the cold wind, _"That can't be good,"_ she thought, panic beginning to rise, resulting in her heartbeat picking up speed.

She continued to a street that looked rather familiar, the whole time faintly hearing footsteps behind her and light sounds against the walls around and rooftops above. Only one thought crossed her mind after all the possibilities of who it could be were narrowed down.

Instantly feeling betrayed, she stopped, clenching her chattering teeth and shaking hands tightly, it was the only way she saw fit to calm herself without lowering herself to violently kicking the shit out of her follower.

"Betrayal is something I do not take well." Elena held back her growing rage, she hoped she'd be able to control herself because, even though she was capable of bringing down a full grown man by using her Father's fighting methods and intelligence, she was in no condition to use up her strength for such a worthless being–that, and with it being so cold out, she could hardly feel any of her limbs anymore.

When she got no reply, she sighed, thinking either she was being ignored or that from the cold, she was in fact not thinking clearly. Elena continued, laughing to herself in distaste as she'd idiotically let herself be lead into a dead-end. Clear sounding footsteps cut through the snow and landed directly onto the road beneath, the sound echoing in Elena's mind. Her hand instinctively went towards her gun she kept beside her right hip.

"A little cliché, but it's definitely going to be fun to teach you a little lesson about our world's hierarchy." Elena chuckled, determined to let off as many rounds as she could into the demon. "Think of this as payment for invading my personal space. You have five seconds to disappear before I start firing. You choose."

Receiving no answer, she turned to meet who it was behind her, only to be completely distracted by the sound of flesh tearing, bones severing, blood splashing and the intense pain that followed. Elena's eyes were wide with shock, only able to focus on her wound and all the blood that fell to the floor from the gaping hole in her chest all the way through to her back.

She was unable to scream for help, let alone gasp for a second breath, blood rose to her throat and coughing seemed the only way to escape the feeling of suffocation. The red liquid poured from her mouth, forcing patterns into the snow as it ran freely from her. Elena fell to her knees, an attempt to hold onto her last ounce of energy before the Hand of Death came down and ripped her soul from her shell.

The pain was unbearable; she held her chest so tightly her nails had begun to cut into her skin, drawing more blood from her already drained remains. A light and gleeful chuckle was faintly heard above her choked screams, she wanted to see her murderers face, she wanted so badly to see their expression before she passed out and eventually died.

A dark emptiness swirled before her; she knew it was almost too late to accomplish her last goal. With her last iota of strength, she gripped onto the hem of her killer's pants, shaking and convulsing violently, she managed to pull herself closer and look up, but from the absence of light, all she could make out was a tall man with glowing eyes. She forced out her final words, not caring if she made sense or not.

"I-I know y-yo-ur se-cret," she wheezed, "S-Sebast-tian."


	6. Chapter 6

_"You better not be leaving her like that,"_ a strong and commanding voice faded into something audible. _"She may be on the list, but she is yet to complete her impact on earth."_

_"Fine,"_ a second voice became perceptible, it was different though, somewhat childish and stubborn. _"But it would be much easier to just write her off as an Accidental Reap–"_

_"She was an A.R.!"_ The first voice emitted loud and angrily. _"Unless you did it on purpose, in which you will then become an A.R., yourself!"_

_"You really are no fun at all,"_ the childlike voice of a grown man sighed. _"I'll bring her back, but don't expect my report to be anything enthusiastic!"_

A moment passed and Elena was soon conscious again. Her wounds still apparent and causing her body and mind to return to a state of shock. Her Magic Play being re-written gave her the strength she needed to gasp for air on her own. Turning to her side and coughing violently, Elena collapsed in the pool of her own blood which spilt from her chest only moments before. Her entire body was numb and refused to move as easily as she wished.

"Calm yourself," came the first voice, closer this time, "it will be easier to breathe that way." The voice wasn't as strong anymore, but still commanding.

The two continued talking, but in a level human's couldn't comprehend. Elena strained herself to open her eyes; all that she could see were mounds of bloody snow and a faint outline of two pairs of legs. She tried to stand again, her chest ached from the fatal, open wound. Though this time she had more luck getting to her knees. She found the wall blindly with her hand and used that to help lift herself to her feet, the two were watching in amazement. It was rare that a human could awaken from an A.R. So quickly, let alone stand after their body had been massacred and had their soul having started to be reaped.

Elena couldn't believe how much pain she was in, yet she continued to walk out of the dead-end alley and back into the open streets and away from the dangerous individuals. She looked left and then right, suddenly a flurry of red hair and intense green eyes were right in front of Elena, causing her to fall back into the snow. This time, she knew she would not be able to get back up on her own.

"Take her home and repair her injuries," the first voice commanded. "And make sure when you apologise that it's sincere!"

"Yes, Sugar," the eccentric red-haired male pouted, but once the other was gone, the red-haired man turned back to Elena, smiling.

Elena hugged herself tightly, gritting her teeth as she strained to open her eyes to look at the being before her.

"Aren't you an interesting human?" He tilted his head to the side, crouching in front of Elena. "What was going through your mind when I slashed you with my chainsaw? Because you had some pretty interesting famous last words, you know."

Furrowing her brows some more, she realised her pain was slowly being replaced by a cold touch. The heat completely evaporating from her. Elena was able to comprehend what he'd said, but still could not manage to get a single note, other than gurgling or groans, from her vocals.

"You should try a little harder to talk, or might I have to loosen your tongue for you? I'm not a patient woman, I'll have you know. I gave you your life back, I can easily take it away once more," the obvious non-human lost the amusement in his face. "So what did you mean when you said 'I know your secret, Sebastian'?"

Elena's heart stopped. Had she really said that aloud, she thought in that moments break from pain. She managed to look up to be met with the male's expression filled with joy. He came closer, smirking, and took hold of her chin, bringing her face closer to his.

"So, tell me what this secret is that you know about my Sebby? I'll assume you're talking about Ciel Phantomhive's butler, Sebastian Michaelis, seeing as he really is one of a kind."

Elena had no idea who this man was, nor did she want to – especially after what he'd done to her. He was the kind you avoided as often as possible. "Wh-who?" She managed to ask.

"Elena Holmes," the male said knowingly, "you're honestly going to lie to me _that_ blatantly?"

It appeared that Elena was taking much too long to recover on her own – even after her speedy awakening – and at this rate, would surely end up disabled in one way or another from the blood-loss – for she could no longer die unless her life-line has been cut by a Death God. The Holmes girl was already beginning to pass out again from a lack of proper circulation.

Sighing, he continued. "My name is Grell Sutcliffe," he then wrapped his long red jacket around her and picked her up against her will. "My superior, William, asked me to take you back home and, with your weak little body, I don't think you can stand the cold much longer."

Elena attempted to struggle to get out of Grell's hold, but her attempts were feeble and she failed without a doubt. He smiled triumphantly and set off for the Phantomhive Manor excitedly, already knowing _He_ was going to be there.

"I'm only following orders and taking you back to where you're staying to see my dearest Sebby and to continue the questioning there." Grell began moving at an incredible speed, so fast that it made Elena ill.

They arrived at the Phantomhive Manor no longer than five minutes later. Without bothering to knock on the door, Grell had barged in, dumping Elena on the floor and awaiting his Sebastian to show himself. The mansion was much, much warmer than outside and Elena was rather glad to be back – even if she could barely even keep herself awake.

"Miss Holmes? Is that you?" Sebastian called from the corridor as he rounded the corner with a candelabra in hand. As soon as he took in the sight of his Master's cousin who appeared to be bleeding and convulsing slightly on the floor, he dodged the Death God's advances with ease and rushed to her side. His conflicting emotions sent his demon nature into overdrive. He really could care less for these humans, but what with the impact her death – if she were to die tonight – could do to his Master, it sent Sebastian insane! He would not have his Master's soul become something he did not fancy.

"I already know you are going to object to what I am about to do, Miss Holmes, but I am at liberty to do what is in my Master's best interest if he is not present." Already halfway up the stairs towards her room, Sebastian made sure to instruct the Death God to get the medical kit from the supply closet in the servant's quarters. After a dark glare, Grell had done as he'd been told ordered – much to his dismay. Laying her down gently on the bed, he continued to apologise in advance for his actions. "I'm sure you're aware this is a life and death situation, so I ask you to bare with me through what is to come next and all will be fine. I assure you, that that _trash _will remain outside and under no circumstances would I ever do this without a female present again."

Sebastian checked her temperature, taking off his right glove and, using the back of his hand to differentiate the degrees of heat, he knew she already had a very high fever and would be ill for some time if she was not properly taken care of from now on. Once the Death God appeared with the medical supplies, Sebastian asked Grell to wait in the hall while he started preparing to treat her injuries. 

Apologising once more in advance and stating exactly what he was going to do, Sebastian removed most of her clothing, sterilised the instruments he was about to use, around her wounds and his hands and then began suturing her gaping torso after having a quick check to make sure no internal organs were damaged or at risk of infection. He did all of this with inhuman speed, something the Earl had forbade him to use the first day they had been together, as it arouses suspicion.

After cleaning up, he proceeded to dress his Master's cousin in a comfortable nightgown and even dried her hair – all without disturbing her from her sleep. Once completed, he left quickly and returned with a flannel soaked in warm water, he placed the soaked cloth on her forehead and pulled the duvet over her. He collected up her tattered and soaked clothes she wore earlier, only now having realised she was wearing Grell's jacket that had once belonged to his Master's aunt, Angelina Durless.

He was taken aback to say the least, Grell never had any intention of allowing another woman to wear that jacket as it held a lot of sentimental value. Sebastian not only had his interest peaked in wondering what Grell must want from her, but he was rather annoyed that Elena had allowed Grell to put _that_ jacket on her when she wouldn't even consider wearing _his_. He was not jealous, but he was merely intrigued, curious even. And a little annoyed.

_"Sebastian, come,"_ Ciel's voice rang, tiredly, in his mind.

He was beside his young Master in a split second, already bowing and waiting for his Master to continue.

"Can you tell me why Grell is here, _in my mansion_?"

"It seems he brought Lady Elena home," Sebastian answered truthfully; his Master's face was shocked. Though Sebastian's was less than amused.

"Elena's back?" Ciel blurted out, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Before Sebastian could answer his Master, Ciel had already gotten up from his desk in his office and was walking quickly towards her room. Ciel hated to admit he was wrong, but he had been feeling guilty about earlier on, all day. He also didn't want to admit that he was worried for her since she hadn't come home and, when he sent Sebastian out to find her, even he returned empty handed.

"Young Master," Sebastian appeared beside his Master. "I think it'd be best if you kept your distance from her as she's not feeling the best, it seems that Grell decided to play God with her."

"She was out with Grell?" Ciel stopped. "What on earth was _he_ doing with her?"

"Saying it like _that_ makes me sound perverted," Grell appeared from behind Sebastian, leaning against a wall.

"You _are_ perverted!" Ciel announced, loudly, "Now tell me, what were you doing with her and why on earth you kept her out when it's so cold?"

"Master," Sebastian spoke before Grell had a chance to, "it's not good to get so worked up, Elena is in her room and will be completely fine. Don't waste your breath on him. I'll see to it that she recovers quickly."

Sebastian sounded nonchalant as usual, but in fact he was trying to hide the fact that Grell had actually done more damage to her than "_just keep her out and get her sick"_. Keeping this from his Master was the best idea for the time being. It was not a lie, so he was not opposing any conditions of his contract. He was merely avoiding speaking the whole truth – _for his Master's benefit!_

"Elena promised me I could stay for a couple of nights," Grell spoke in his sickly sultry voice, Ciel was going to object, but decided that, if Elena had a reason to trust this Death God, then he must know something of great importance to Uncle Sherlock's whereabouts.

"Fine, Sebastian, show him a room _far away_ from everyone else, especially Elena's and my room. I don't want to wake up to being able to hear him sexually harass you." Ciel waved them away and turned, starting for his room. "Then come to my room and prepare my blankets."

"Yes, my Lord." Sebastian bowed, he wasn't amused by his Master's orders in the slightest.


	7. Chapter 7

_August 8th 1891_

As the night soon turned brighter with the sun filling the sky behind the clouds, Sebastian made his way to the kitchen to begin preparing tea and breakfast for the residents of the Phantomhive Manor. It was always quiet in the mornings – and Sebastian loved it! No one could make a mess, no one could make unnecessary noise, no one to bother him.

Seeing as no one was around and he was only forbidden to use his demonic powers while others were near, Sebastian did a quick once over spot-dust of the mansion's halls and main rooms and then a check over the gardens outside. Once back inside, he had breakfast prepared faster than the blink of an eye. The tea was also prepared in impeccable timing. By then, it had just ticked over to seven in the morning – the _exact_ time Sebastian woke Ciel every day. He brought Ciel's tea and breakfast up to his room and did his usual routine of waking his Master; serving him breakfast in bed – there was no need to serve it at the table as Elena wouldn't be able to get out of bed in her condition – and preparing his clothes for the day. While Ciel sat in bed, propped up by his thick pillows, slowly chewing on what Sebastian had served him, Sebastian excused himself to go and check on Elena.

Knocking on her door, he didn't expect to get an answer and proceeded to enter after a suitable amount of time had passed. He frowned when he saw that her bed was empty. On his way over, he noticed the faint droplets of blood on the floor which lead towards the bathroom – the handle and door frame coated in a few hand-prints of the red fluid. His face drained all emotion after knocking on the bathroom door and not getting a reply. He waited a moment before knocking again and announcing his intrusion. Having to look out for her wellbeing as well as his Master's really was becoming a thorn in the demon butler's side.

"I apologise for intruding, but if you are still alive and breathing, I would appreciate it if you could give me some sort of sign? Anything but silence will be enough and I will leave you in peace." Sebastian had said through the ajar door, not wanting to open it completely.

Still, he got no reply. A twitch of his eyebrow and he had allowed a glimmer of his true self to become apparent. The demon vanished and searched until he came to the study, where he found Elena. His eyes dimmed and his stoic presence returned. A wash of relief filled him when he saw that she was fine.

"My Lady, might I ask what you are doing out of your bedcha–"

A gun being cocked silenced the butler. Elena had not looked up from her mounds of papers and books she'd been inspecting. She was barely able to hold the gun up while still looking through a magnifying glass.

"I am willing to take into account that you are not from our time, nor from around here. But that is no excuse coming from the so-called: 'perfect butler'. Even that of one which works under the Phantomhive name. You would be wise not to break protocol again." Elena put the magnifying glass on the bench and rubbed at her eyes before glancing up and meeting Sebastian's. "Any repeats of last night's behaviour without my permission and I will make sure you pay for it in a way that does not negatively affect Ciel. Are we clear?"

"I'm afraid I do not underst–"

"Keep that play of obliviousness up and it too will result in the same. You know exactly what I am referring to." Elena then stood, her Father's nightshirt was baggy on her frame and the buttons not all completely done up. Underneath, the bandages around her entire torso were wrapped differently to the way Sebastian had done them the previous night and were covered in a few splotches of fresh, still wet, blood. One arm crossed over herself in an attempt to stifle the pain from the sudden movement. "I have no intention to get on your bad side, considering the circumstances, but any distractions are only prolonging my stay."

Sebastian did not say anything, nor make any expression or movement which would give off any answer to the intellectual girl. Instead, he silently eyed the titles and subjects visible that headlined the papers. The articles in the paper were all about missing people and the books were about various cults, religion and mythology. Sebastian raised his brow, wondering if Elena had already figured out that Sherlock's kidnapper couldn't be human. It wouldn't have surprised him if she'd already figured that much out on her own. Especially since she clearly already had more than a suspicion of his own being inhuman.

Then the thought of Grell popped into his mind, he was now incredibly curious as to what those two would have been discussing – if they had a chance to speak between the slashing, that is. Elena is sure to have every bit of evidence that Sebastian was not human apart from seeing it for herself. He could not allow that. Ever. Although, since she got to the point quickly and could easily read anyone – including himself and Undertaker – someone as idiotic as Grell would be a piece of cake for her to manipulate into giving her any answer she required.

_"Regardless of her acute deciphering skills, that doesn't change the fact that she is worn out and unhealthy."_ Sebastian thought. _"Even in her condition, she still refuses to show any weaknesses. How foolish. She is yet to recognise the difference between courage and stupidity."_

"I'll take your thoughtful silence and inspecting of my latest reading material as confirmation that I'm more than likely heading in the right direction." Elena smirked and sat back down. Her amusement was soon replaced by a wash of pain, he knuckles turning white and her skin taught against her tensing.

"Milady, I am sure with the Earl's and my help, we will undoubtedly solve this case. In saying that, you cannot ignore your own health in place of another's. I recommend you rest until you are fully healed to ensure you stay at the top of your game." Sebastian watched her fall into a coughing fit and waited until it was over to continue speaking. "And... I appreciate you not mentioning my '_saving'_you – without permission (or a doctor's certificate) – to the young Master. That indeed would evoke a scolding beyond any I have ever received."

An awkward silence filled the room. Sebastian was the first to break it as he mentioned he would go and prepare her something suitable to consume. Elena just nodded and went back to her work. It had been only a minute before her hand found its way to where Grell had plunged his chainsaw into her. Her fingers delicately tracing the suturing through the bandages. _'He has such a steady hand,' _Elena thought. _'Every stitch is evenly spaced. It's annoyingly perfect. Interesting that someone like him could complete such a good deed.'_

"So long as everything was done in a professional manner, I really can't be upset about him saving my life..." A sudden blush filled her face as the butler's chuckling came from the doorway.

"I am a professional in all aspects and areas. I can assure you, you were in great hands."

Elena was about to say something, but was left opening and closing her mouth like a goldfish. Her face growing a darker shade by the moment. Sebastian had already returned to his Master's side to finish getting him ready for the day, so even if she had articulated any words, it was too late to say them now. Shaking him from her mind, Elena returned to her work once more undisturbed. She knew that when people go missing, the first forty-eight hours are the most crucial. Anything after that timeframe, where there have been no leads, the person is thought to be dead. So unless you're up for doing the investigating yourself, Scotland Yard and any other law enforcer give up searching and close the case.

Another coughing fit expelled from Elena's lungs, and even though it hurt like hell, she couldn't afford to take any unnecessary breaks. The first forty-eight hours had already passed and as of this moment, the only lead she had confirmed was that he was not kidnapped in a humanly possible way. Which made this all the more harder to solve.

The demon butler estimated that he had around twenty minutes or so until Ciel would be done with his bath, so he took this opportunity to go and make sure Grell was still knocked out. After becoming Dr. Michaelis that night, he had soon become Mr. Hyde and made sure to keep Grell in his room at any cost. Putting him to sleep forcefully was his only option which did not end in him murdering the Death God.

"Sebastian..." Ciel called through the door.

Sebastian answered him at once, moving into the bathroom quickly with a clean outfit. As soon as Ciel was dressed and ready for another eventful day, they started for the office on the first floor. Sebastian told him that Elena was already feeling much better, albeit she looks deathly ill. Ciel frowned – more so than usual – knowing she'd be even more stubborn.

"Ah, there's my sexy-Sebby!" Grell had attempted a sneak attack right before they had gotten to the staircase, but he was easily dropkicked by Sebastian. "That hurt, you know?"

"I know," Sebastian said matter-of-factly, "I intended it too."

"You can't keep playing hard-to-get forever," Grell returned to his feet, brushing himself off. "You'll soon give in to your desires for me and as soon as that happens, Seb–"

"Grell?" Elena walked over after peeking her head out of the study, interrupting the Death God. She was surprised to see him over so early and he was glad to see her, until she asked an unnecessary question he'd wanted to keep from, not only Sebastian, but Ciel too. "What brings you here, you psychotic, gender confused, freak?"

Both Sebastian and Ciel now turned to the Death God, giving him a hateful look, now knowing he'd fooled them into letting him stay the night. It hurt Ciel's ego more that he would actually believe something which came out of that creep's mouth.

"You never said he could stay a few nights, did you, Elena?" Ciel sighed and fought the urge to command Sebastian to murder the annoying Death God.

"No," Elena thought as she remembered back to what Grell had told her about what she'd said right before she died for a moment. "I would never invite someone back if they had tried to kill me for no provocation at all."

Sebastian felt a headache coming on – which was odd since his kind didn't get them. Ciel turned to Grell, a darkness Elena had never seen before seemed to cling to her cousin. He whispered something about Grell killing off his family members as he slowly stepped towards the Death God. Out of nowhere, surprising everyone, Ciel had suddenly grabbed Grell's tie, pulling him closer. He brought his fisted hand back and punched Grell in the face as hard as he could.

Grell was about to retaliate, though Sebastian had gotten between them in time, catching the red-haired male's fist mid-air.

"Nicely done, Sebby," Grell struggled to free his hand which was then twisted behind his back, "and nice strike from you, brat," Grell turned his attention to Ciel, still unable to escape his beloved, but he didn't mind this position. Even with the pain.

"It wasn't as good as I'd have hoped," Ciel frowned, "it seems I left you standing."

"Perhaps, the young Master would allow me to do some _permanent_ damage?" Sebastian smiled.

Ciel ignored his Demon and glared at the Death God. "Stay away from my family and butler. This is your last warning." He then continued towards his office calling back an instruction for Sebastian to remove Grell from their property at once.

Bowing, Sebastian obliged. As soon as Ciel was out of sight, Sebastian massaged his temples. _"I can already tell that today is going to be just full of surprises." _Even in his thoughts, the demon couldn't hide the sarcastic tone.

Clapping his hands together, Sebastian turned to the Death God and smiled devilishly before grabbing him by the hair and dragging him towards the front door and throwing him out on his ass. This whole time Elena had just watched everything. Deciding to keep her mouth shut and take mental notes of all the occurrences before heading back into the upstairs study to finish up writing out a list of possible locations her father could be.

It had been about an hour before Sebastian returned with tea and something for her to eat. She was hesitant at first to eat the dainty savoury treats, but hunger soon won over and she had cleaned the plate – much to her dismay. Noon soon chimed on the grandfather clock. Elena's eyes shot to it, she hadn't realised how long she'd been studying for until now. Getting up a little too quickly, a scorching flame-hot pain entwined itself around her flesh and nerves near the wound. Gritting her teeth, Elena held back a gasp and exited the study. A slip of paper in hand.

Suddenly, blocking the doorway was Sebastian with a cart carrying lunch. "How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Peachy." She tried to get past him, though it appeared he had no intention of allowing her to leave. "Step aside."

"The Earl has asked me to keep your health in check, I am afraid leaving the mansion is unwise in this weather and your condition."

"I assure you, I am fine."

Sebastian hadn't been this short-tempered since he first met Ciel Phantomhive. But with all that is going on, and his new duties bestowed upon him by the name of Elena Holmes, he was in no mood to put up with idiotic human reasoning. He realised he was stepping over the boundaries of his perfect butler façade when he took hold of her jaw and knelt down to her level and spoke the words he did, but if she listened, everything would be a lot easier for everyone.

"I have been ordered to keep your health in check. My Lord's orders are that you are not to leave the mansion until you are well." Elena went to say something, but was stopped by the white-gloved clad hand being held out before her. "Here. The addresses, if you would hand them over. I will go investigate in your place. You _will_ rest."

"Ex-excuse m–"

"I'm not joking. I've a very busy schedule to upkeep and I'm in no mood to play around. The paper, please. The sooner you hand it over, the sooner I can scout the places out and report back to you in exquisite detail. I will take photographic evidence too if need be."

Once again, at a loss for words, Elena held her tongue. It had taken her a while, but slowly, she forced herself to hand the paper over, slapping it to his chest. Grumbling, she pushed passed him towards her room. Shaking his head at her stubbornness, Sebastian looked the note over and cocked his eyebrow. The places she'd written down were definitely obscure. And not at all safe for any human to go. Asking Meirin to bring the food to Elena, Sebastian had reported back to his Master and the two set off for an investigation of all three places marked.

Clutching at her chest, Miss Holmes couldn't take being so useless and ended up falling asleep from exhaustion. She refused to cry, but her body was worn, her mind scattered. She needed to think clearly. Sleeping was the result.


	8. Chapter 8

_"Elena is quite impressive," a dark voice echoed in the jet black scenery, "I'd have never expected her to be this intellectual."_

_Murmuring forced its way out of the gagged detective's mouth. He struggled against the binds made of sharp, twisted barbed wire–or was it thorns from a rose bush? He couldn't tell as it was all too dark. Sherlock didn't even know if his eyes were open or if he was blindfolded, he'd lost one of his most powerful senses and it was taking its toll on the rest of his mind._

_"Quiet down," the voice returned, "your incessant whining is annoying me."_

_After the sudden sound of a large book closing, there was silence…_

Since Sebastian and the Earl left Elena to investigate in her place, her mind had been going crazy for hours. Eventually she had fallen asleep, but it wasn't so nice as to have a peaceful, dreamless sleep. No, she was suffocated with nightmares of her past reoccurring.

Elena had sat up, panting, perspiration covering her almost entirely. Her hand quickly shot to her mouth, she was going to be sick. Quickly leaping out of bed and ignoring the pain in her chest, Elena ran to the bathroom sink, leaning over the basin and vomiting almost instantly. Her throat burned as she coughed up all that was in her stomach. Her body finally gave her a break to catch her breath before another round of vomiting begun. A sharp stinging in her chest rose higher up her throat every time she expelled her bodily fluid.

After one last cough, she could barely hold herself up; her eyes were clenched tightly shut as her hands gripped the bench top. Once she'd caught her breath again and spat the disgusting taste in her mouth out and into the sink, she opened her eyes. Horror struck when she had noticed that in the sink was mostly blood rather than vomit. Something caught her eye though, a small, sharp chunk of, what appeared to be, metal amongst the blood. As disgusting as it was, she picked it up and turned the handle for the cold water, rinsing out the sink and cleaning the small item.

"What on earth is this?" She looked at the chunk of metal closer.

From what she could make out, it appeared to be a sharp, tooth-like piece. Elena was beginning to form a few ideas from where it could have come from but was distracted on her way back to her bed when she heard her door creak open.

"Milady, are you alright?" The sound of Ciel's Demon Butler questioned.

"I'm fine," Elena was telling the half truth. She was in fact a lot better now, although she was a little shaken up still from her nightmares.

"Very well," Sebastian walked in; a closer look at her gave him a surprised expression. "I see you're feeling better, yes?"

"How do you–" Elena stopped herself mid question, she knew exactly how he knew she was fine. "Never mind. Yes, I am feeling much better after being sick. I can now focus on finding my father, undisturbed!"

"It seems when Grell reaped her soul temporarily, she never lost any of her spirit," Sebastian thought, a smile spreading on his face."Her soul does seem to give off such an inviting and strong scent now, it's almost good enough to be one of the Off-Limits. Although, it's nothing compared to my Master's, his soul perfectly suits my taste."

There was an awkward pause where Elena was simply looking at the clock and Sebastian was staring at her, almost drooling at the scent of her soul. It wasn't this strong smelling before and he was finding it hard not to just pounce on top of her and savagely rip her soul from her core, ultimately satisfying himself.

"What are you looking at?" Elena cocked her eyebrow, shaking her head as she got back into bed.

"Nothing," Sebastian was pulled back to reality, he smirked and turned to leave–he was so starved and having this delicious soul placed right in front of him, that he was not allowed to have, was almost torture.

"Where are you going?" Elena asked. He stopped, smirk still in place. "I was hoping we could talk."

"What would you like to discuss at such an hour?"

Squeezing the metal object in her hand, she stared at the butler. "Grell nearly killed me." Sebastian mentioned a "more or less" between nods. "But he is not just some chainsaw-wielding lunatic, otherwise you'd have not let him even set foot on Ciel's property. So, praytell what excuses him from the law."

"You are thinking of reporting him to the police?"

"You are thinking that following protocol will do no good?" Elena evaluated his question and turned it back around.

"In all honesty, no. It will do absolutely no good at all."

"Because he is above the law? Above humans on the hierarchy?"

"I never said that."

"You didn't have to."

"It's all a matter of perspective."

"And what's yours in this case?" Silence. After he did not speak for some time, Elena continued. "Don't be shy now. We're finally getting somewhere."

"You shouldn't play with fire. You'll only get burnt, Miss Holmes." Rolling the sharp metal around in her hand, the point pierced her skin. His jaw clenched as soon as a the blood escaped from beneath the layers of skin. "I should go. It is improper for a lady to have such company in her room at this time."

She chuckled softly, this was the first time she'd ever seen Sebastian appear not so perfectly calm and collected. Sebastian wasn't in fact as cool as he usually was, he did find himself slipping into his Demon side more and more because of his growing hunger for souls. Elena's chuckle though brought him back and snapped him out of his state of hunger.

Staring at the blood on her hand, she asked monotonously, "Before you go, did you find anything while investigating?"

"Yes and no," Sebastian brushed himself off. "Yes, we found evidence that will lead to the kidnapper's in each location, but no because they were nothing like Master Holmes' case."

"I see," Elena pulled her knees up to her chest, sighing.

"Was there anything else, Milady?" Sebastian asked, hoping she did not want his help in bandaging her cut before he had left.

"No one has even been suspected to be the culprit behind his disappearance yet," rolling over, she waved him off. "I shouldn't be surprised at who they are going to blame sooner or later."

Elena's eyes were so very distant and cold, her aura the same. Unfortunately for her, this only made Sebastian want a taste of her soul more–even for a Demon, wanting what you can't have is still a strong desire. Sebastian left quickly, closing the door behind him.


	9. Chapter 9

August 9th 1891

As the sun rose and shone brightly into Elena's room, she glared at the window. _"Stupid sun,"_ she thought as she sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, a headache consuming her thoughts. Sleepily, she wandered to the bathroom, pulling out her toothbrush and brushing her teeth. She then had a quick bath and got ready for the day. Once content with her appearance, she headed back into her room and found a rather burnt looking breakfast on a silver tray placed on her nightstand.

_"Either Sebastian's lost his touch,"_ she thought sarcastically, _"or the Chef actually cooked for a change."_

Not wanting to be rude, Elena sat down on the edge of the bed and grabbed the cup of tea placed next to the plate of burnt eggs and ashes–of what was once assumed "toast". Sipping at the beverage gingerly, she held back a sour look. The tea had no flavour whatsoever, or more accurately, it was water-flavoured tea. Still, she drank it anyway, while she began on the smouldered, almost completely blackened toast, complimented by almost black eggs with a side of hard and lumpy burnt hollandaise sauce. The sound of whispers coming from just outside her door and the tray of overly burnt food made her suspicious. Before taking a bite, she smelt the food and took a closer look at it.

_"Is it possible that they would be so bold as to go so far as to listen to that demon and poison me?"_ Elena raised her eyebrow, thinking hard, _"Did I even do anything all that wrong to be poisoned?"_

Before she took a bite, she smelt the food once more and listened carefully to what was being said outside her door.

_"Has she eaten any yet?"_ A whispered female voice was barely audible.

_"I can't tell; the door's shut!"_ A male's tone spoke, strong yet hushed and impatient sounding.

Elena walked over to the door, toast in hand. She continued to listen, able to hear through the door more clearly now.

_"Does she like it?"_ Another male voice broke through; she knew that one belonged to the Gardener, Finnian.

_"What did I just say?"_ The stronger man's voice came again. Before anyone had a chance to answer, Elena opened the door and all three of the servants employed by her second cousin came tumbling in, lying on top of one another in the doorway – had they not been leaning on the door, they could have gotten away with a lie of poor quality – or at least Elena would have let them off with a lie.

"You look like you're having fun," Elena knelt down, smiling at the three. They all gasped and quickly stood, bowing and apologising like crazy. When they had finally calmed down, Elena stood, taking a bite of the toast – apart from it's presentation, there wasn't much wrong with the taste – and continued. "Your apologising is frightfully brash, but I'll accept nonetheless if it'll make you feel better."

She took another bite and headed back over to her bed, sitting and crossing her legs, grabbing the newspaper from beside the tray and continuing to eat the breakfast the Chef – whom she didn't know the name of yet – had _clearly_ been cooking for a long time (since it was all over-cooked and burnt). As the three turned to leave, Elena said one last thing that brought a giant grin to the chef's face.

"I do like the breakfast," Elena didn't look up from the paper, but she was being honest. The imperfections in this meal brought back the feeling of being home, as her father, as smart as he was, could never grasp how to cook all that well. "I just hope you didn't ruin all your hard-work by lacing it with cyanide or something similar."

Moments passed and as Elena was scanning the paper for anything that could help with the case. Sebastian had walked in, a tray of food in his hands. She looked at him and then the tray next to her. She smiled and shoved the rest of the toast in her mouth, taking the tea she already had and drinking it with an arrogant smile on her face.

"You shouldn't eat that," Sebastian came around and replaced Bard's attempt at breakfast with his perfectly prepared meal. "It's unhealthy to eat such a burnt source of sustenance."

"You're an unhealthy source of sustenance," Elena retaliated under her breath, quiet enough to be disregarded, but loud enough for him to hear.

This earned her a look of warning before he left with the tray with Bardroy's breakfast. Elena jumped up and said that she wasn't finished, her tone was rather annoyed, but Sebastian ignored her. Elena slumped back down on the bed, she looked at what he'd prepared and then at the tea. Frustrated that she'd admitted defeat once again, she ate Sebastian's food without enthusiasm and drank the tea – even more annoying, his tea was so carefully and tastefully prepared.

Once she'd finished, she thought to go see Ciel before venturing out to investigate. Elena wandered into Ciel's office, but he wasn't there, so she went to check his room to see if he was still in bed, still no luck. Next she checked the dining hall, but he wasn't there either. She thought hard as to where he would be and the only place left would be his other study.

She found the room quite quickly, though before she opened the door, she listened to the music and the agitated voice of her cousin speaking to someone in his angry tone – well, that tone was generally his normal voice these days.

"Really, if I couldn't get it right after years of practising – four times a week – what would make you so naive as to assume I could get it right if I go 'once more'?" Ciel growled.

"Young Master, please try harder to be interested, you'll need to learn these skills if you hope to become–" Ciel had cut off the demon butler. Sebastian's voice was losing that evenness and composed melody.

"I don't need to learn this, it's unnecessary!" Ciel interrupted Sebastian.

"Young Master, just start again," Sebastian spoke, exasperated, the music stopped and started again. "One and two and one and–chin up, back straight–two and–watch your footing."

"Maybe if you weren't so tall, I'd be more successful."

Elena couldn't resist opening the door and creeping in quietly, she _had_ to see Ciel dance, it would be a sight to see... especially if he was dancing with Sebastian! She had managed to escape Ciel's attention, but was clearly noticed by his Demon Butler

_"Shocker there!"_ Elena thought sarcastically.

To Elena's surprise, Sebastian didn't notify Ciel of her presence, not right away anyway. So she had the satisfaction of watching her second cousin fail at dancing. She didn't mind this side of the butler. The sly demeanour in which he took pleasure in embarrassing his Master.

It wasn't long before Ciel had noticed that Sebastian was no longer giving him his undivided attention while dancing and that he was continuously looking to the same spot near the door. When Ciel had turned to see what he was looking at, he went bright red as he saw Elena with a grin so condescending from the sight she was seeing. His embarrassment soon switched to anger, Elena told him to calm down and there wasn't anything to be embarrassed about as many people had taken dancing lessons before.

"I doubt they would have had to have their Butler as their dancing partner," Ciel scowled, pushing himself away from Sebastian and moving over to his violin.

"Who do you think I had to learn to dance from?" Elena sat on his desk, her feet swinging back and forth, "Father didn't like having servants, so he taught me to dance, he's a lot taller than me."

"Yes, but you're female," Ciel picked up his instrument, "you should get used to dancing with taller males."

"What's the difference?" Elena asked, "What if Elizabeth were to leave you and you eventually met and fell in love with a woman taller than you and she asked you to dance? If you're not used to dancing with taller and shorter people than yourself, then you'll look quite foolish."

"Sebastian, forget the dancing and let's move onto music practice," Ciel ignored Elena, beginning to glide the bow over the violin strings, not hitting a single note. Elena jumped down and took the violin from Ciel, playing it exquisitely and hitting every note. She played along to the music that Sebastian had turned down, Ciel looked at her with agitation engraved into his face, having Elena be good at everything she did was starting to annoy him – but at the same time, he admired that very same fact, which only annoyed him more.

"Young Master, Lady Elena has a point, you do need to learn," a glint of mischief in his eyes, "but if you don't want to dance with me, might I suggest you dance with Lady Elena then?"

"What?" Elena and Ciel both asked in unison.

The two cousins stopped what they were doing and stared at Sebastian in disbelief, then at one another and then back at Sebastian. Elena spoke first, asking him that he can't be serious, to which he replied by shrugging his shoulders and mentioning that it would benefit the both of them. Ciel by having him dance with someone only slightly taller than him and his dance partner being female, and Elena by gaining more dancing skills from his suggestions and respect from Ciel.

Sebastian was aware that, by getting on the nerves of either of these two children, that he'd be starting a war, but he had ulterior motives to what he was doing. Watching, not only Ciel, but Elena too, out of their comfort zone was rather enjoyable.

"In other words," Elena started, "you doubt I would be capable to teach Ciel to dance properly, _without_ your help?"

"No," Ciel continued, "he'd just get a kick out of it."

The two teenagers were glaring at him, serious looks on both of their porcelain and blemish free faces. He only smiled wider, searching through the music books for a suitable piece to play. Elena and Ciel looked at one another, each with concerned looks.

"I suppose you're both right," Sebastian turned back, "In all honesty, I do doubt that someone as young as you could teach the Lord better than _I._ And yes, I will get a kick out of this, but that is hardly the point. One way or another, the pros of my Lord learning something highly outweighs the cons of my satisfaction." He smiled once again, but didn't receive one back – it was rare he ever did.

"Shall we begin? We're already running late," he looked at his pocket watch, snapping it shut, "after this, you have some paperwork to go over and then continuing on with the Holmes case. Not to mention, you may or may not get a surprise visit from Scotland Yard regarding the case and its progress."

Elena looked at Sebastian sternly and then at Ciel. Although she really wanted to prove Sebastian wrong by teaching Ciel how to dance like a professional, she didn't want to have _him_ watching, waiting for her to mess up just so he could prove his point. It was a rather impossible predicament she was in. If she backed out now, it'd mean Sebastian had something over her, if she decided to help Ciel, and made a mistake, Sebastian would, again, have something over her, but, if she were to somehow get Ciel to dance with perfection, or at least improve his skills more than they already are, she would have something to use against his perfect Demon Butler.

Deciding that, in order to top the Demon, she had to accept his challenge, she grabbed Ciel's arm and dragged him into the centre of the room. She placed his left hand in hers and his right on her back. Ciel struggled to get away at first, but a hushed comment she whispered in his ear made Ciel almost glad Elena had shown up.

"Learn something, _anything,_" Elena whispered. "This is your chance to prove to Sebastian that _you_ and the rest of us aren't incompetent. Relying on him _isn't _your only hope."

Something clicked inside Ciel, a strange and odd feeling. What Elena had said had made him think that relying on Sebastian was all he had been doing for so many years now, he wondered when he had stopped partaking in the trivial issues his company caused and the Queen's smaller, less important orders – he couldn't remember, knowing that made him also want to prove that he wasn't completely useless without his demon.

"Start with your left foot stepping forward, then right foot to the side, then feet together. Then right foot back, left foot to the side and feet together," Elena stated the basic steps of a waltz for males, "remember not to look down, keep your back and the frame of your arms straight and the most important of all?"

"Don't step on your feet?" Ciel asked sarcastically, earning him a playful slap up the back of his head.

"No," Elena rolled her eyes, getting back into her dance position; she pulled him closer, "_always_ trust your partner."

The piano started playing beautiful melodic notes and Elena nodded, gesturing to begin. Ciel was nervous, trying to remember everything Sebastian had taught him, what Elena had just said – also; the fact that he was so close to Elena didn't help jog his memory. He stepped on Elena's feet a few times before she started taking the lead, hoping Sebastian wouldn't notice – he did, but never said a word as he was interested to see how well she could dance and how much she could make Ciel blush without meaning to.

After continuously dancing for three minutes, Elena slowly started to allow Ciel to lead, when she could see he was doing a hell of a lot better than he was with Sebastian, she couldn't help but smirk when she was facing in the same direction as the Butler. If someone were to walk in and see Ciel and Elena dance, it would appear they had been dancing together for at least a few weeks – that fact, only making Elena more glad she'd accepted this little bet.

On the final string of notes Sebastian played, Elena focused her attention on Ciel, only now noticing he had been watching her the whole time, an odd expression of awe rest upon his face. They slowed, and on the final note, they came to a stop, standing quite a distance away from one another now. It was barely even a second that the two had finished dancing and Sebastian was already at his Master's side ready to comment on Ciel's dancing.

"It appears," Sebastian began, "the Master has learned to dance a little better with you as his partner."

"I told you it was because of your height!" Ciel stated again.

"Be that as it may, my Lord, it appears she hasn't surpassed me at this skill," his eyes narrowed to Elena's, she knew this wasn't all he had to say, "I do have some _constructive_ criticism I'd like to share."

Sebastian guided them to move back into the dance position, he then continued to comment.

"First of all, you're standing too far apart, you drifted from one another when Ciel was leading," Sebastian then pushed the two closer, embarrassing both of them. "Secondly, you weren't looking in your partners eyes the entire time, Elena."

"What?" She snapped her head to look at the demon butler, but he pushed her face back to face Ciel's, ignoring her and continuing.

"Thirdly, Ciel's hand isn't positioned low enough on your back, Milady," Sebastian slowly slid Ciel's hand lower, he tried to go against Sebastian's strength, but he knew it was impossible to defy a demon, all while Elena had straightened her back, leaning away from Ciel's hand and into him more.

With both cousins clearly uncomfortable and pissed off at Sebastian, he couldn't resist annoying Elena once more, and what he was going to say would not only annoy her, but Ciel too.

"Lastly," Sebastian leant down to their level, standing behind Elena so she couldn't see his face, directing the last statement at her, "the most important rule," he held back a laugh, Ciel was clearly able to see his glowing eyes and devilish smirk – he glared at Sebastian for carelessly showing his inhuman side around Elena. "_You_ didn't trust your partner the _whole_ time, milady."

Just as Sebastian had known, stating _that_ would annoy Ciel. Elena let go of Ciel and walked over to the other side of the large room, Ciel's eyebrows knitted in frustration, he was about to question her as to why she didn't trust him while dancing, but a very long and high-pitched, off-note screeching came from the violin. Ciel and Sebastian wondered what she was doing; her mien was not happy.

"Thank you for the advice, butler," she played another ear-bleeding, scratchy sound – that couldn't be good for the instrument – and smiled half-heartedly, "would you like to see how well you can get Ciel to dance while I play?"

"Only if the Master wishes to contin–" Elena cut Sebastian off.

"Ciel, you want to show this butler who's a better teacher, right?"

Ciel knew that a human could never really surpass a Demon, but at this moment, he was actually kind of scared of Elena. _"Are all females this terribly competitive?"_ he thought, _"no wonder she's not married yet."_

Before answering her, he thought about what scenario would be worse. Having his cousin in an incredibly bad mood or having his cousin who was the daughter of Sherlock Holmes try and defeat a demon. Still, he felt compelled not to get on her bad side on his own account, and answered a simple, but shaky, "Yes…?"

"Then let's begin," Elena glared at Sebastian. Before she started playing, she added, "You have an advantage over our performance, butler," she smiled, her eyes hidden by her fringe, "I taught Ciel to dance rather well, so this piece should even things out. _Try_ to keep up."

The demon smiled and waited for Elena to play. Although he knew she was going to be paying her complete attention to every detail, he knew her song choice wouldn't be something all too difficult for him.

_"Elena may be childish, but she would play fair,"_ Sebastian thought, _"playing a song that doesn't match the dance would be an unfair advantage. Winning an unfair fight is pointless."_

Sebastian laughed at the irony of his thought and the current circumstance. Before any more words were spilled; Elena flicked her wrist with the bow, placing it atop the strings, while her fingers found the correct frets. The bow slid across the strings delicately, forming wonderful, yet powerful notes. Sebastian and Ciel began to move, Elena kept her eyes on them the whole time, watching for any falter.

She soon quickened the pace of the melody, it wasn't a piece Sebastian, let alone Ciel, had heard before, so following the tune was rather difficult – Elena knew playing a piece of music that was known would give Sebastian yet another advantage, so she had to play one of her songs her Father wrote for her. Once she started playing even faster, it was visible that even Sebastian was appearing to lose his grip on Ciel – he had been holding Ciel steady while they danced at the ridiculously fast pace, but if he held on any tighter now, he would only harm his Master.

After another minute of watching Ciel completely forget the dancing pattern, balance, timing and calm expression, Elena stopped playing. Her flawless tune now turning to the sound of Ciel out of breath. He wasn't happy with Elena and his Demon's attitudes towards one another. He was about to yell at the two to cut it out, until Elena walked over, handing Ciel his glass of water form the bench.

"You did great Ciel," Elena smiled, "I'm so proud of your progress that _I_ helped you accomplish! On the other hand, Sebastian, you didn't do so well."

"Oh," Sebastian answered, knowing all too well she would be making up these "mistakes."

"Unfortunately, yes," Elena sighed, "I know you're both male and don't want to be all that close, but you weren't standing close enough, I could fit a carriage between the two of you," her undivided attention towards the demon earned her a smirk from him, "both of your hands were too high on each others backs, and finally, _you_ didn't trust Ciel, _at all_ during your performance, did you, _Sebastian_?"

Sebastian knew she had a point there, he hadn't in fact let Ciel lead, even though Ciel was playing the male in their performance. Elena could see the hidden annoyance in Sebastian's face as she picked out the most obvious flaws, she knew she was cheating by playing an impossible song for Ciel, and she knew she was only using the flaws Sebastian had pointed out earlier for her, but that was enough to have finally agitated Sebastian, proving him wrong at something.

Out of nowhere, Ciel burst out laughing. It was a genuine laugh, catching the two of them off guard, their quizzical looks only making him laugh harder. Ciel calmed down momentarily and shook his head, as Meirin entered the room, announcing he had mail, leaving his second cousin and demon in the centre of the room, while he opened his letter in the doorway, Elena and his butler, still in shock from his uncalled for and unexplained amusement.

Elena was first to look away, refocusing her attention to the demon; Sebastian then looked back at her. An awkward moment passed before Elena moved to sit at one of the comfortable chairs, resting from her early workout of dancing and musical performance.

"What piece was that, Milady?" Sebastian asked, curiously, Elena raised an eyebrow, "the piece you played on the violin, what is its title and what artist composed it?"

Elena smirked, "It's called 'Flawless Exception', and was written by my Father, an original."

"A little ironic, wouldn't you say?" Sebastian smiled, moving over to his Master, standing by the door.

"That's why I chose it," Elena then slid further into the chair, putting her feet up on the polished table.

"Elena, get up," Ciel walked over, kicking her legs off, "we have work to do." Ciel's voice had returned to its usual harsh tone. "I've been invited to a party that has a few suspects in the Holmes Case on the guest list. I want you to go with Meirin and wait for Miss Hopkins to help you with something to wear to the party."


	10. Chapter 10

Having been prodded and poked, pushed and pulled, stripped and dressed to the nines, and most of all _restrained_, Nina Hopkins had managed to make an original dress from one of her basic creations she brought along. In the seven hours she was given, she had even left with time to spare! No one but Elena and Meirin had been shown the finished product, but even Sebastian was surprised with the dressmaker when she had left the mansion earlier than expected.

_This is ridiculous. I've practically lost another day of searching for my father because of this silly party which may or may not have suspects related to his case, _Elena thought hard while staring at the finished product._ If they are not who Ciel believes them to be, and anything more happens to my father because I could not save him in time, I would never forgive the Earl._

Letting go of the gown's hem and wandering over towards her cupboard, she searched through her untidy suitcases until she found her necklace. A silver locket in the shape of a heart. Inside, it held a picture of her father and mother on either side. She had not realised she'd been crying until a tear dripped onto the glass over the picture of her father. Wiping it away instantly, she then checked her face, finding it wet. Using her sleeve, she wiped at her face. When she turned around and opened her eyes, seeing Sebastian there startled her.

A hand over her racing heart, "What did I tell you about making yourself known when entering into a room?"

"My apologies, but I was ordered to–"

"I'm sure you were." Elena straightened up. "I will be ready in a moment. If the Earl needs an explanation, by all means, pass along my message to him that he should loosen his corset and breathe a little."

Nodding automatically, seemingly not wanting to get in the middle of anything (and avoiding letting her know that his Master had in fact worn a corset once before), Sebastian bowed and left. Meirin returned to the bedroom from the bathroom, her face slightly red. Elena took note of her expression and the ways she was now moving.

"You do not agree with the way I speak to the butler, or about your Master, for that matter." Meirin was caught off-guard by the statement. "It's okay. You've nothing to hide from me. And even if you did, there's hardly any reason to try. I can see when people are lying."

"I-if you do not mind me speaking so b-boldly, I'm more concerned with _how_ you can say such things so s-straightforwardly to such people as the young Master and Mr. Sebastian."

"You'd think it was because I am of the same hierarchy as the Earl and have some sort of complex or another that I have the 'right' to speak to people below my title in a less than appreciative manner, but it's not that at all. Though that's hardly far from the truth with most aristocrats. Simply, I do not care what they think of me. Granted, it can make you feel very isolated, but its perks of giving a good confidence boost are well worth the hassle." Elena sucked in a breath as Meirin tightened the corset to her best ability. Exhaling, she continued. "If you were less concerned about what you believe the others think of you, you will find it's easier to speak your mind around them."

Blushing, Meirin tried to change the topic. "Your father taught you so well. You are simply amazing!" Slipping the gown on Elena and talking about how wonderful she looked, though Elena was not fooled. Without looking at the maid, she smiled.

"I've seen the way you look at him. They way you fluster up when he's near." Meirin tried to deny this. To feign knowing what the Holmes girl was getting at. "Normally, I wouldn't get involved. But I've grown to appreciate your company. I'm not used to keeping the company of females all that often, you see. I don't want to see you get hurt unnecessarily, thus I urge you to forget about him. Sebastian is... not like others. He does not seem to show any signs that he cares for anyone but the Earl, and even then..."

A knock came at the door. Meirin jumped at the sound, asking who it was. Shaking her head, Elena already knew it would be Sebastian. How could the demon allow her to share such deep and inner secrets he barely even tries to hide from the unskilled eye?

Murmuring to herself, aware Sebastian was more than likely able to hear her, "and even then... _it's only business._"

Checking the time, Elena realised that it was about time they had at least set off. Thanking the maid, Elena wished her a peaceful night and took her leave towards the taxi where Ciel was already seated in and waiting – _impatiently_.

The door to the cab opened, the Earl's attention instantly captured. His eyes met Elena's and he couldn't help but take a second look. The faintest look of panic slipped through his hard expression. Elena sat across from him while Sebastian took the seat beside his Master. The cab driver whipped at the horses, setting off without hesitation once he was sure everyone was in and seated.

"The longer you refrain from telling me what it is that's on your mind," Elena sighed, never letting her gaze leave the window, "the more it's going to ebb away at your patience."

"I... " Clearing his throat, Ciel thought for a moment, trying not to look at the necklace she wore. "You scrub up nice. I'm sure if you dressed more appropriately, like this, you would have no trouble finding a suitor."

"I do not care for such things as that," her expression hardened. "Letting people in only ends in misery."

Ciel let that sink in before trying to prove her wrong. "But you love your father, don't you?"

"Yes. Precisely my point. Because of that affection, I am suffering, and will continue to be, until I find him." Elena glanced in the Earl's direction. "Emotional torture can be more painful than any kind of physical harm. You should know that more than anyone, _Earl _of Phantomhive_._"

The rest of the way, the three were silent. The Earl would have gone through the suspects case file's with his second cousin, if he weren't so afraid she would doubt them and leave. She was getting more and more aggressive ever day she did not find her father. If it weren't for Grell's attack on her, she'd have done all the investigating herself and been a little more level headed. But, regardless of her ever growing erratic conclusions she's drawing, he needed her at this party with him. If she talked to these people and just so happened to find out a few things along the way for his own investigation the Queen ordered, then so be it. With that out of the way with, he, himself, would have time to help his second cousin.

After being in the dark carriage for quite some time, the trio were relieved to finally see some light just over the top of some trees. They continued down a hill and into a clearing surrounded by a high fence which entered into a large estate. The mansion was incredible. It was lit up beautifully and crowded with people dressed in the finest. Pulling up close to the entrance, but not so close that they were blocking the way between a great fountain centrepiece and the stairs towards the porch, it was evident that tonights party was going to be guarded heavily.

Sebastian exited first and stood on the opposite side to the footman. Ciel then got out, followed by Elena who was now left looking between both males holding their hands out gallantly and Ciel who was now staring at her expectantly to take the help offered while in public. Sighing, she took the demon's hand as lightly as she could. Although she was unable to bite back a sour expression on touch, Elena had not forgotten that everyone she did not know here was a possible threat.

Looking around with a surprised and then annoyed expression, Ciel asked his butler for the invitations. He glanced at them before pocketing them quickly and continuing forward, hoping to distract Elena from the obvious, even if it were just for a moment.

"You didn't mention that this was a masquerade party," Elena stated blatantly. "If you expect me to allow you to proceed, let alone myself, you are sorely mistaken." 

Frowning slightly, the Earl's eye twitched in irritation. "Sebastian is bringing them from the cab now." Ciel stated surely. Hopefully.

Stopping and turning around to quickly head back to their carriage, bumping into Ciel while she turned, she reached the door and swung it open, pulling herself up at the same time. She was met with Sebastian's waist coat brushing against her nose. Startled, she stepped back and realised he was holding two masks in his hands; each one matching their outfits. Smiling, his eyes appearing darker through the cut outs of his own mask his face adorned, he tied his Master's mask in place and offered to put Elena's on for her. Furrowing her brows and turning around so he could tie it, Elena couldn't keep her opinion to herself.

"Slip your mind, did it?"

Knowing exactly what she meant, Sebastian decided to play oblivious. "I beg your pardon?"

"The masks. Surely you must have forgotten on the way that we were going to a _masquerade_, otherwise you'd have brought these out," Elena tapped the side of mask, "before we arrived. "

"Ah. Yes. My deepest apologies. We'd have all looked quite silly walking in without a mask to a party like this, now wouldn't we?" Sebastian pulled on the strings a little too tightly then to emphasise his point, "We all make mistakes every now and again, I am no exception. I'm only human, after all."

"Really? Well, thank the Lord that we have you on our side then! Because, of course, if it weren't for your miraculous quick thinking, the Earl and I would never have come to the conclusion that we were missing a very vital part of our costumes _before _walking into the party!"

Rolling her eyes, they caught up to Ciel and while waiting in line, Elena excused herself to take a breather from out of the crowd. Pushing back into her place beside her cousin and his demon butler with a quaint smile, they were finally at the door. Asking for our invitations, Ciel proceeded to put his hand into his pocket to retrieve the invites. Taking hold of her cousin's elbow and stepping forward, she passed the invitations over to the guard. The tall, red haired man eyed them before nodding to his companion to allow them inside.

Once inside, they'd had their coats taken and stored in the cloakroom, offered various beverages and hors d'oeuvres and been lead towards their table. The whole time, Ciel had been giving her a strange look, while Sebastian had been trying to hide his own look of bemusement. The Earl was about to question her, but was cut off by a waiter coming around and introducing himself, Charlie Seville, and pouring the table water into their glasses for them. He couldn't have been much older than twenty. Blond hair, green eyes, lightly tanned skin. He smiled and acted in the most politest of fashions; it made Elena sick to her stomach. He was of no threat – not yet, anyway – no concealed weapons, no visible tattoos or scars and no undertones other than wishing he weren't here but somewhere else entirely. The way he looked at the other women anxiously and couldn't stop himself from ringing his left hand with his right agitated Elena to the point she couldn't stand it at all.

"Charlie, if you would," Elena gestured him over and whispered something.

Looking up surprised and hopeful, Elena nodded and handed him something from her purse.

"Do hurry, time is of the essence."

Nodding, the young waiter beamed incredibly, "Thank you, milady. Thank you."

Charlie quickly made his way back into the kitchen and out of sight. Eyes returning forward, Elena ignored the looks from both males which clearly asked "What was that all about?" Resting her chin on her hand atop the table, Elena dipped the top of her finger into her glass of water and glided it around the rim. The vibrations letting off a low hum. She looked at Sebastian quickly and slyly nodded before she applied a little too much pressure to one side of her glass. It tipped over and just enough of the water fell onto her purse, drenching it through before Sebastian had caught it and stood it back upright. Another waiter appeared from behind them with a fresh glass for Elena, when they were about to top it up with some fresh water, she declined, stating their waiter was already tending to that.

About to take a sip of his drink, Ciel was startled by Elena just about knocking his glass out of his hands.

"Don't fill up on that vile tasteless tap water, I've organised for a bottle of the finest champagne to be brought to us!"

Shaking his head, Ciel stood and Sebastian followed. Elena immediately asked them where they were going.

"The restroom, if you don't mind." Ciel took a breath and rolled his eyes. "Show her the files while I'm gone."

"Yes, my Lord," Sebastian placed his hand on his heart and nodded, taking his seat once again after the Earl left.


	11. Chapter 11

Taking the files out from under his waist coat, he handed them to Miss Holmes and sat in silence, staring between her and the mask, while she scanned over each of the suspects case files.

"You have questions." Sebastian was about to answer but was cut off before he could even start. Sighing, Elena grabbed her purse and opened it, sliding a slip of paper towards him. "The water is contaminated. Drugged. See how this piece has turned a shade of pink? That just means it's not a _deadly_ poison. It's something from a hospital actually, so a calmative or muscle relaxant of some sort, perhaps even a very mild liquid form of anaesthesia? Something quite shocking is going to happen later on in the night. I assume, since this is the Viscount of Druitt's party, he's holding another underground trafficking auction or something alike."

"Interesting."

"Mm. It is, isn't it? Now, your other questions regarding the invites, Charlie Seville and, of course, how I know you lied about forgetting the the masks in the cab." Having started looking back at the files, it was her way of proving just how simple it all was to figure out.

"You have my attention."

"This isn't our table. Charlie Seville wasn't our waiter we were assigned, he was easy enough to get rid of for the night though. This is the table belonging to the people I switched our tickets with. If you look behind you, there's a table with some extremely drunk characters. Now–"

"Ah. I understand! That was supposed to be our table. Their drinks weren't tampered with, making it easy to spot us in a calm and relaxed crowd."

"No." Sighing again, she shook her head and went back to reading the files. "They are just drunk because they can't handle their liquor. If you look a little more closely in that direction, you'll find there is an empty table, with used glasses on it and the table cloth is disturbed. Clearing that table, is _three_ waiters. That's odd enough on its own, but to make it more suspicious, they all seem to have more muscle and attitude than the others. Not to mention, they _each_ have an empty cart, draped with a floor-length cloth. Oh, and they are also the only waiters armed."

Without even needing to look in that direction, Sebastian remembered seeing all that she mentioned when he looked over the first time. But he was genuinely surprised a human caught all that with just one glance like himself.

"But you already knew all that, didn't you?" She smiled while taking in the images of the victims. "Regarding the masks, I don't have enough evidence to support how and where you got the materials to construct them at such short notice, but it is clearly evident that you only just finished making them when I opened the door to the cab."

"And your evidence supporting that theory?"

"When I tapped the mask earlier, the glue was still wet."

A silent stare off commenced between the two, only ceasing when Elena had to blink. Getting back to the topic at hand, without even having to interrogate them, she was able to deduce that three out of the four suspects were innocent in regards to her father being missing. When questioned about her methods, she was more than thrilled to explain to the demon who seemed to know everything.

"Suspect number one: Gavin Thorn," she pointed to his picture. "Having dealt with him first hand, it seems impossible for him to have kidnapped my father. He likes the attention. He wants to be found out, so he leaves clues, messages, photographs. Take your pick. He's clearly not guilty of _this_ crime.

"Suspect number two: Theodore Hemming. Although much more discreet than Mr. Thorn, he is another one to leave things strewn about, except his clues aren't left intentionally. He is just very, very clumsy when it comes to his visits. Always knocking things over, making loud noises, et cetera.

"Suspect number three: Donald Greenwich. I did at first think he could be a potential suspect, but with his track record, it is highly unlikely–so much so that it's not even worth investigating. Donald has many of the qualities like subtlety and cleanliness. Though he doesn't keep his victims long before he straight up murders them; a couple hours or a day at most. That, and he also prefers women as they are easier targets."

"All very valid points, I see. In which case, I back your decisions one-hundred percent." Sebastian then asked about the fourth. "Though, I'm curious what about Ned Brighton makes you remain suspicious?"

"Ned Brighton. He... he is very intelligent. Has proven to be quite a challenge when it comes to finding sufficient evidence to convict him. He's very clean with his work, leaves next to no evidence–and when he does, it's something untraceable to _him_." A little uneasy now, Elena's breath caught in her throat. "Brighton actually uses his brain. He plans ahead for every outcome possible–good or bad. That, and he's got a grudge against my family."

"Care to elaborate?" said the butler, interested.

"Not to you."

"Then perhaps you'll continue for me?" Ciel stated, returning to his seat. Elena glared at him before looking down back at his file.

"After my mother had foolishly played and stolen something very valuable from him, he tracked her down, tracing her back to my father–who had been the first person to ever outwit him. As you can imagine, he'd been plotting a revenge most incredible for my father, and he was more than willing to take full advantage of their new found weakness. Like killing two birds with one stone." Swallowing hard, Elena's skin went cold. "When he really wants to hurt you, he will attack your most vulnerable of places. The mind."

"I think you mean, the heart." Ciel corrected surely.

"No." Sebastian answered automatically.

Elena had also answered at the same time as the demon butler. "Don't be ridiculous. After what happened to you, you should know hearts do not possess emotions. Having your mind messed with causes much more pain than simply dying. Death is a merciful act in comparison to what can be done to you while you still have a working thought process."

"He used you to get to your parents," the demon stated.

Ciel asked his butler the time and looked around at the other guests, barely showing interest in what she had to say any more. "Would you bet your life on Ned Brighton being capable of kidnapping your father?"

Pulling a face of disgust, she shook her head. "He's capable of many things, but I wouldn't bet my life on him being the offender. Brighton would have gone after me again if he wanted to hurt him. He saw how much it pained my father when he... anyway, I was in the next room over. It's highly unlikely Ned Brighton kidnapped my father. "

Sharing another curious look with one another for the night, the Earl and his butler decided to get on with the evening's plans they had intended for.

"What about a different case then? Who would you pin as the offender for the most recent crimes in the paper? I'm clearly not as susceptible to pick out each of their shortcomings as you are, so I'd like to hear your two-cents." Elena scrutinised the Earl, having already figured that tonight's events weren't completely aimed at her. Although annoyed that he had to lie to her to get her help and waste her time, it was indeed starting to sound interesting and she'd never been one to ignore an interesting case. Elena would get him back, but for now, she'd help him with this. "Six people have been murdered, all great men who work–work_ed_–under the Queen, like myself. They've all been murdered differently. Some have been quick, others put through lengthy torture. We have no reason to believe they are targeted for no other reason than their title. And these four are our top suspects."

"You could have just asked my help straight up rather than bring me out to a party–where you're clearly not wanted, might I add–to help you close a case the Queen thinks is of the utmost importance." Taking a long sigh, Elena continued. "It's clearly evident that I would need to inspect each victim and their crime scenes too, but given that I'm only a pawn in your game, I can already tell that I'm not going to be granted such luxuries.

"You'll need to describe the crime scenes and victims to me. The more detail you give me, the more accurate my answer. For instance, are they toying with you and leaving things out in plain sight? If so, what? Or are they cold and vicious with their killings? Without conscience or consideration? Or perhaps they were quick and very dexterous? Do the victims show signs of a struggle or were other means taken?"

The demon explained each scene in impeccable detail. It was evident that it was at least one of these four men, especially since they were all spotted on more than one occasion at the murder scenes and each of the late watchdogs had something to do with one of these criminals. He explained that everything was done mercilessly. Bloodshed everywhere, the bodies brutally bashed, broken, and tortured. One had even been found strung up. Unsightly as that already is, what made it even more disturbing was the message behind it all and the state the body was in. The lack of clothing, a dog's collar–studded with diamonds–around his neck, his arms and legs bound by a leash and the fact that he'd been deafened by a letter opener having been pierced through each ear and even had red wax melted over his eyes and mouth and then stamped with the Queen's seal–all of them genuine Royal items too as the Queen had reported them missing, along with her dog's collar.

Most of them kept to the same basic style of killing, bar the one that clearly played on everything about this man's moonlight job serving the Queen.

Elena studied the demon butler's expressions, trying to read his inner thoughts as he spoke about each death. She could very nearly see the images of the victims' bodies in his eyes just from his words. The way his eyebrows would slowly pull down, his nostrils slightly flaring, his heart rate and breathing, his eyes would focus, pupils would dilate and his lip twitching ever so gently in repulsion. It surprised the Holmes girl that he could feel such emotions as disgust and pity. Not that she was complaining. Learning more things about the demon was going to give her slight advantages here and there if need be.

"You don't like dogs, do you, Sebastian?" Elena asked casually as she took the files, except Ned Brighton's, and faced them towards the Earl. Without waiting for an answer, she continued. "It's rather simple to figure out. These three, Gavin Thorn, Theodore Hemming and Donald Greenwich all killed at least one of the six victims. The first two victims, Haywood and Smith sound like Hemming's ways of killing. The next three, Anderson, Grey and Barnes sound like Greenwich's–though seeing as he likes the ladies more, Hemming is more than likely to have helped in one, two, maybe even all three of these–but the last, Newman, is definitely something up Thorn's alley!

"The first five are far less conspicuous, less showy and more emotionally connected. They wanted them dead. They didn't even care about their own pleasure in killing them, they just wanted it done and over with. The last though, Thorn really likes to make it obvious he was there. Though, the wrath in Newman's death was so overt it's covert! Although he makes out his victims to be of some sick game, even he can sometimes forget to have fun while playing... But that's just a simple deduction without seeing any of the scenes, victims or evidence for myself."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Ciel glanced to the side. His eyes meeting his butler's, "Does that sound plausible to you, Sebastian? It will all be going in the report."

"For someone who hasn't seen anything in this case first hand, you're extraordinarily accurate." Sebastian smiled and then nodded to his Master. "I'd say she hit the nail on the head for all six scenes. When and how did you want to round Thorn, Hemming and Greenwich up? Should I have Scotland Yard take them away and you can enjoy the rest of the party how it was intended and then report back to the Queen later?"

"Don't be daft. You know Scotland Yard are useless. Things would get done faster if Elena took them on by herself!"

"It's settled then." Smiling, Elena relaxed a little in her seat. "Ciel, you've got Hemming. Butler, you're on Thorn and I'll take Greenwich."

"Theodore Hemming is a little out of the Master's, how should I put this, weight division? Might I suggest my Lord and I switch targets?"

"You'd really risk your master's life so easily? For once, I'm genuinely shocked at your actions, Sebastian." Elena stifled a laugh. "Although out of his weight division, Ciel has the advantage of being stealthy and agile against Hemming. Whereas if he went after Thorn and things backfired–"

"I'd be right by his side to help him."

"–should you be a little tied up at the time, Thorn has both weight, height and agility on Ciel. That, and he has no qualms about attacking those out in the open, unlike the others who try to avoid public recognition. I'd suggest he take Greenwich, if anyone, but Donald will be more than happy to go after me. Not only does he want revenge against my father, which I can use to lure him out, if need be, he is also more prone to following a female out into a dark passageway. So unless you're up for a little cross-dressing, I'd stick with Hemming."

The demon smirked, breathing a light chuckle before facing his Master for approval. After an agitated moment to calm down from that cross-dressing remark, which brought back some unwanted memories, the Phantomhive nodded in agreement. As they were all about to go their separate ways, Elena had one more thing to bring to attention.

"Tonight, you are your weakness. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Looking at her concernedly, Ciel raised an eyebrow. "I wish you both luck, you'll need it."

Wandering through the crowds of people in search for Theodore Hemming, the Earl had come across Ned Brighton standing by the wall, staring off into around him, he couldn't see his man, so the Earl continued looking elsewhere.

Sebastian was still searching for his man, though in a much less suspicious way. Dancing about with whatever lady approached him, he scanned the room effortlessly as he spun. He had spotted Hemming, Brighton and Greenwich already, but unfortunately hadn't seen Thorn anywhere. He did think to just take out the two while he knew where they were, but if he did that, it would only raise Lady Elena's suspicions of him more, and he really couldn't afford for her to have solid evidence of him being a demon. Not unless his Master ordered otherwise. So for now, while his Lord didn't want anyone in his control to know about his non-human status, Sebastian had to remain under the radar.

"You're such a wonderful dancer!" the woman cheered, her pudgy face wrinkling slightly as she laughed.

The music ended and Sebastian took her hand, and bent down, kissing it graciously. Standing back up, "You're too kind, the pleasure was all mine, milady."

Blushing madly, she whipped out her fan to cool down as she made her way off the dance floor to her grumpy-faced husband. His sour expression made him look even older, and from the muttered discretion he and his wife were now having made it all the more obvious that he didn't like Sebastian one bit. Finding his ego stroked enough from that little tiff, he found the auras of women wanting to be right beside him now a little daunting. He had to remain appearing human, but they appeared to be about to go rabid if they didn't all get a dance with him.

Suddenly, a jab in his back had him turning in an instant with a frown. Being approached was one thing, but grabbed at was just rude. Upon finding the cause to be Elena though, his face relaxed. Her expectant expression was all too easy to read, but he wanted to make her suffer a bit. Having then asked how he could be of service to her out loud she had to grit her teeth to hold back an insult. She shook her head and took his hands, forcing him into a waltz just as the music started up. Had Sebastian not manoeuvred around his screaming fans, they'd have all been pushed to the floor.

"Getting a little jealous, were you?" Sebastian teased.

Out of breath, Elena stepped on his foot on purpose. "Shut up. Just dance and don't stop. If you can, get us into the centre without causing a scene that would be great."

"Greenwich is still where I last saw him, might I ask what's gotten you this flustered if not from seeing me surrounded by beautiful women?" he winked upon noticing Elena's glare.

"You really are something, you know that?" Looking back to where she came from, she relaxed a little more in the demon's arms, unbeknown to her why she suddenly felt comfortable being so close to one of Hell's Children. "I ran into someone I had hoped I never would have to meet again. Not to mention that you're fooling around and–Thorn at three o'clock–and not doing as you were instructed."

Glancing directly left when Elena had said, Sebastian's eyes fell on Gavin. He commended her for the help with finding him and after spinning her out, he disappeared before she had even realised he'd let go of her hand. Bumping into someone and being caught before falling, from the direction he'd spun her in and the speed, it could only mean one person was behind her. Frowning at the demon's ungraceful departure, Elena turned and smiled apologetically.

"I'm dreadfully sorry, Sir. It seems my dance partner had somewhere more important to be."

"Is that so?" Donald Greenwich cocked an eyebrow, a subtle grin slowly forming on his lips. The elevation in his heart rate apparent as she held onto his wrist. "It must have been urgent if he had to leave such a beauty all on her own. We'll have to do something about that. Follow me."

About to guide her back out onto the floor, he had his shoulder grabbed by Theodore Hemming. "I'm sorry ma'am, but this _gentleman_ is a little busy at the moment. I'm sure there's plenty of other free–"

"Don't be worry, Theo, I'll just be a moment," Donald glanced between them and then at the exit. "I'll be back before anyone misses us."

Grumbling, Theo looked to his left before letting go of his friend's jacket. "Make it quick."

Elena had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at their obvious double meanings. She wondered how women could be so easily lured to their demise by this man. Being lead outside and around the corner to a large pond, they stopped where he was slowly reaching into his pocket with his right hand and pointing up to the stars with his left. Pointing up too with her left, she brought her elbow back down as hard as she could on his nose.

A grunt of agony echoed and was about to be followed by a string of swears, but his voice was drowned out after being winded. Elena had kneed him in the gut, cut off his vocals with a slice of her hand to his throat, blocked his blind jab, slammed her palm up against the bottom of his chin, spun him around, pulled his jacket halfway down and kicked the back of his knees before entrapping him in a choke-hold long enough to make him pass out. Before leaving Greenwich, she searched him for any thing concealed, upon not finding any thing but a photograph in his pocket, she took one look at it before getting up and making her way back to the party.

Off to her right, she saw Sebastian had already taken out Hemming and Thorn and was just dusting off his hands. He too looked on to face her, finding her expression getting more and more distraught the longer he watched. Catching up with her, he followed closely and pushed her gloves down and off her arms, explaining in whispers they had a few specks of blood on them. Without looking at him, she nodded and reached back into his inner jacket pocket, pulling out a pair of his spare gloves.

"Find Ciel."

"Milady?"

"Just do it already! His life is at stake here!" Elena put the gloves on, "Why didn't I see it before? It all makes sense now!"

Without another word, Sebastian took off in no particular direction. Having also pick-pocketed the demon's pocket watch when grabbing the gloves, she checked the time. _Seville, you better not let me down!_ Elena frowned some more as the minute hand ticked over.

Needing to cause some kind of distraction, she looked around the room quickly, setting her eyes on a beautiful metal sculpture by the curtains and smiling. Making her way over, she leant the candelabra over just enough to have the flames make contact with the curtains. Quickly making her way safely under a table before anybody noticed the fire and smoke.

It had been a minute, way too long for someone _not_ to have realised there was a fire in the building, so Elena stuck her head out from under the tablecloth. The fire was really bad now, but nobody seemed to notice. Annoyed, Elena took it upon herself to yell out the obvious to vacate the building. Getting on top of the table, she stopped herself when she saw Ned Brighton holding Ciel by the exit. Their eyes met for a brief moment before someone nearly ran into him, he was carrying a handgun. Ned took off and Elena jumped down to quickly follow.

A loud cry of "FIRE!" came from the direction she was running in and it only took a second to realise the man with the gun must have yelled it out. Shrieks then started up all around the place like a domino effect. Minds were panicking, bodies were rushing about frantically. People were so desperate to get out that they were willing to do anything. From a quick glance, Elena had already seen two people getting trampled on. Swearing under her breath, she pushed as hard as she could to get through the doorway swarming with over one-hundred people.

Once out and safely against the wall, she searched through the crowd for Brighton and her cousin. Sebastian had appeared beside her at one point, his expression not happy in the slightest. Elena even detected the slightest echo of worry etched onto his face.

"Brighton took off out here with him," she handed back the watch after checking the time once again and with that one quick glance at the butler, she continued surely, while looking down at the panicked guests. "You were shot. Three times. Try not to die until we get Ciel back, okay?"

"If a servant of the Phantomhive household couldn't endure something like this, then–"

"Oh, do cut that out. It's getting old." Elena smiled as she saw a familiar face rushing towards her.

"Found them. They're running towards the trees, by the only unlit street lamp."

Elena put her hand out blindly beside her, "Wonderful, mind taking the lead and slowing them down? I'll be there in a moment!"

Not bothering about her, Sebastian was more focused on getting his Master back. Ciel wasn't calling for him, so he must be unconscious or heavily drugged now. Gritting his teeth, he pushed forward, leaping over the edge and not worrying about using the lengthy stairs. Dashing speedily through the hoards of people, Sebastian was determined to save his Master and make Ned Brighton and his comrades pay. He'd caught up to Ned and his Lord, only to have another shot fired at him. This time it missed him and only just missed his Master and Ned.

"I believe you have something of mine." Sebastian took a step closer. "I'd like him back."

"I'm surprised you're still standing after taking those hits. You're quite the determined one, aren't you?" Chuckling to himself as he pressed a blade harder against Ciel's throat. "You should have stayed down when you were given the chance, watching your Master die is sure to give you nightmares."

"I can assure you, Mr. Brighton," Sebastian's eyes shimmered magenta as he licked his dry lips, "I am your worst nightmare."


End file.
